With virtue

"Ah? Mr. Yuan knows about this?" Zhao Yunshu suddenly became wary.

I never told anyone I was doing this, nor did I ever reveal where I was going. How did he know that I was going to the west of the city to deal with the town's law enforcement?

Was it because my whereabouts were exposed this morning?

"I know, but don't worry, it's not for any other reason. We just happened to be dealing with this matter as well. This afternoon, I went to deal with the place you encountered this morning, only to find that it had already been resolved. So, we looked for the cause and that's how we found you. But you were exhausted and still asleep, so I didn't disturb you," the white ape said.

"Then why is Mr. Yuan stopping me now?" Zhao Yunshu asked again.

"I should ask you first, you Taoist priest, weren't you supposed to be investigating the location of the ghost general? Why are you here now to lift the curse on these wandering ghosts? Aren't you afraid of delaying your important business?" the white ape retorted.

Zhao Yun knew this was a difficult question to answer, since he had previously said he was going to hunt down the Ghost General Zhou Heng.

However, they weren't without explanation.

He then said, "In the process of investigating the Nine Beauties, I discovered these wandering ghosts. They were truly pitiful, so I decided to help them."

The white ape stared at him for a moment, then its arrogance softened slightly, and it flexed its front paws: "You Taoist priest are quite kind. It's not easy for the world to be like this. I admire you."

It lowered its paws, reverting to its arrogant and condescending demeanor, and said, "Then you don't need to go to the brick kiln. I broke the curse at the brick kiln this afternoon. Those souls have probably already reincarnated on their own. I only had time to look for you after returning from the brick kiln."

"Huh?" Zhao Yunshu was surprised: "So, you know what happened?" If the other party handled it so clearly, then they must know who was behind it, and it is very likely that it was the other party's enemy.

"I know, but... Taoist priest, are you really here to chase after Zhou Heng?" The white ape stared at Zhao Yunshu and asked.

"Of course," Zhao Yunshu replied without hesitation, remaining unmoved.

"Then do you know what Zhou Heng came to Dingzhou for?" the white ape asked again.

"I don't know. I only know that Zhou Heng and my master have a deep-seated grudge, so I had to come here for my master's sake. But I really don't know why Zhou Heng came to Dingzhou or what he's planning," Zhao Yunshu said. "If you have any clues, please let me know. Maybe I can use this to catch Zhou Heng's whereabouts?"

"You've already tracked down Zhou Heng, so I'll tell you. Zhou Heng brought a group of ghosts and monsters here, along with Mei Xian and a bunch of little devils. They came to Dingzhou as a vanguard," the white ape said.

"A vanguard?" Zhao Yun didn't understand the meaning of this sentence for a moment.

"Yes, someone wants to launch a military campaign against Dingzhou. As for these methods of suppressing wandering ghosts, they probably originated from some sorcerer who wants to use these wandering ghosts to cause trouble and create more chaos in Dingzhou," the white ape explained.

Zhao Yunshu frowned slightly.

Now that you put it that way, it all makes sense.

If someone wants to launch a military campaign against Dingzhou, then the most feared aspect of a siege is a strong city defense and a united front within the city. If such a siege drags on, the attacking side often has to pay ten times the price to take it down.

However, if some chaos could be created within the city before the siege, whether it be hauntings, demonic possession, or plague—anything that instills fear and keeps the people awake at night and the soldiers exhausted—the city's defenses would be weakened by the time the actual attack begins, and it might even collapse on its own. Right now, Dingzhou City is already experiencing a refugee crisis. So many displaced people are rushing towards Dingzhou City; many are alive, but even more are dead. If a sorcerer could use witchcraft to suppress the souls of these displaced people, and then use evil magic to refine and transform them, the accumulated resentment would reach a certain point and erupt like a dam breaking.

At that time, if there is a plague or a series of ghostly afflictions, and many such things happen in and around Dingzhou City at the same time, even if the garrison has three heads and six arms, they will not be able to take care of everything.

Therefore, they were the vanguard.

Even figures like Ghost General Zhou Heng and Mei San Niang are nothing more than pawns in this matter. Their journey up the mountain to find their master was not for personal revenge, but to clear obstacles for the two important figures behind them.

It's just a bit strange that someone is planning to attack Dingzhou, and the people of the city are completely unaware of it. Is the military governor's office also kept in the dark?

No, this young master Wang has also arrived here, which means they obviously have corresponding methods over there as well.

"I see." Zhao Yunshu suppressed his shock and put on a look of sudden understanding. He then asked, "Mr. Yuan, since you know all this, what brought Young Master Wang and you to Dingzhou? Could it be that you also came for this matter?"

The white ape stood with its sword on its back and said arrogantly, "You shouldn't have asked about this, but since you've taken care of those lonely ghosts and have some kindness in doing so, I'll tell you. That's how things are in this world. Someone sets a fire, and someone else puts it out. My young master must have his own reasons for coming to Dingzhou."

"These curses are just for dealing with minor things like wandering ghosts and refugees. They don't really matter. Once they're broken, that's fine. But my young master can't really stay and work for them. Sending the message is enough. We'll be leaving with the Liu family in a few days. I'm here today just to remind you that you're not only chasing after Zhou Heng, but you've also killed Jiu Yan and broken so many curses, ruining the sorcerer's plans. You've probably caught their eye."

"You shouldn't stay in Dingzhou City any longer."

Zhao Yunshu frowned upon hearing these words.

Dingzhou has been peaceful for so long, but I guess I can't stay here any longer. This sounds like war is coming! It's time to run away!

Zhao Yunshu then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much for the reminder, Mr. Yuan."

Indeed, we should thank you. This kind of information should be strictly controlled. Otherwise, if some rumors are leaked out, before the enemy even arrives, busybodies in the city will spread the word and cause panic. That would be a big problem.

"It's alright. My young master and you get along well, and I also think you're quite good. These things have been said, so go back and make your own preparations," the white ape said.

After speaking, the white ape left, disappearing into the shadows with a few leaps, without making a sound from beginning to end.

Zhao Yunshu stood still, pondering the situation alone.

A cool night breeze caressed my face.

He pondered the news he had learned that night over and over in his mind, and the more he pondered it, the more uneasy he felt.

The two great demons, the Rainstorm Lord and the Governor of Nanke, are here. The Ghost General and Mei San Niang are merely scouts, and the suppressed wandering ghosts are just part of the plan. Moreover, someone is secretly casting spells to disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang with resentment, causing chaos in the city.

It's unclear when the troops outside the city will arrive, but the fact that two powerful demons who control their own territories are taking action at the same time means that this battle will be no small affair.

They sent their capable subordinates to do these things, and it's possible that they did more than just suppress wandering ghosts and spirits, or spread so many curses outside the city. They might even have driven many refugees to Dingzhou!

Such elaborate preparations are not for idleness, but rather for something even bigger! The protective barrier he destroyed today is just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows how many similar arrangements there are outside Dingzhou City?

The white ape was right. He ruined those sorcerers' plans and killed Zhou Heng and Yuanmeng Jiuyan. These things had probably already caught the attention of some people. If he stayed any longer, he would just be waiting for them to come knocking on his door...

That's too dangerous.

Fortunately, I am all alone, with no ties, so I can leave whenever I want.

Although there are still many unanswered questions about his master, he doesn't even know where Mei San Niang is hiding right now, and the backgrounds of the Prefect of Nan Ke and the Rainstorm Lord are shrouded in mystery. Staying in Dingzhou City and waiting is not a solution.

It would be better to leave this troublesome place first, find a safe place to rest, and make further plans after things have calmed down.

Yuan Zhisheng had already left. Zhao Yunshu stood there, trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

The waters around Dingzhou are getting increasingly murky.

However, although he was a wandering Taoist priest and could not manage the important affairs of the imperial court, since he had already encountered the chaos in the Yin and Yang realms, he could not pretend not to see it and still had to do something within his power.

After a moment's thought, he came up with a plan.

Those important military and national affairs were the responsibility of the military governor, and had nothing to do with him, a wandering Taoist priest. However, in the underworld, the underworld officials at the City God Temple were clearly still in the dark and did not know why those curses were used.

Now that he had extracted so much inside information from Jiu Yan, witnessed so many dead souls, and obtained some inside information from the White Ape, it was only right and proper for him to go to the City God Temple and deliver the message to the underworld officials.

As for whether they report it to the City God or forward it to the Underworld after it's been handed over, that's not something a lowly Taoist priest like him should worry about.

If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up; he can just run away.

Having made up his mind, Zhao Yunshu did not delay any longer.

In the dead of night, the streets and alleys of Dingzhou City were deserted. He hung his iron sword on his waist and, by the moonlight, strode towards the west of the city.

After leaving the city gate, I jogged all the way and soon arrived at the City God Temple. The gate and stone lions were exactly the same as when I came the night before.

Moreover, even the ghosts are exactly the same!

But at the entrance, dozens of semi-transparent figures were gathered, a dark mass, motionless.

Zhao Yunshu looked closely and, good heavens, not a single one of these dozens of ghosts was missing; they were all left here!

He hurried forward, raising his voice before even reaching them, and asked, "What's wrong? Your shackles should have been broken, so why aren't you reincarnating? What are you doing here? Is there some other problem? Did I not break the shackles? Or has something else happened?"

Zhao Yunshu jogged over, stood in front of the group of ghosts, and asked in astonishment.

The departed souls looked at each other, and after a moment, they pushed and shoved an old man forward. This old man had white hair and beard, a hunched back, and his clothes made him look like a down-on-his-luck, impoverished scholar. Among the ragged refugees, he was the most presentable one.

He walked shakily to Zhao Yunshu, first bowing respectfully, then kneeling on the ground. The dozens of ghosts behind him also knelt down in unison. For a moment, a chilling wind blew, and ghostly figures bowed their heads, creating a solemn scene.

The two underworld officials stood silently by the temple entrance, their arms folded together.

Zhao Yunshu was somewhat surprised.

The old man kowtowed and said, "Master Daoist, please accept our bow. We are ghosts with no relatives or friends, and we have received such a great kindness from you. If we were to just leave and be reincarnated, we would be unable to rest in peace in our next life. Even though we are ghosts, we still know the meaning of repaying kindness."

He simply stood up, carefully took out a small, rough pottery cup from his sleeve, and held it above his head with both hands.

The old man continued, "We have been received by the underworld officials one after another today. We should have entered the temple immediately to await our fate, but we are concerned about the kindness of the Taoist priest and cannot leave now. So we dared to ask the two officials for some information."

"The officers said that the Taoist priest had been working tirelessly for us, even neglecting his own cultivation. Although we were ignorant of cultivation, we heard from the officers that the Taoist priest needed to collect morning dew and dawn light for cultivation. So we begged him again, and the two officers, unable to bear our pestering, finally showed us a method of collecting these things!"

"From last night until dawn this morning, dozens of us scattered throughout the western part of the city, searching for the tiny drops of dew that naturally condense on the tips of plants and trees, untouched by the wind. We picked them at sunrise, and fortunately, our efforts paid off, and we managed to gather this small cup. We have no use for this, so if you don't mind, please accept it, as a small token of our appreciation."

Zhao Yunshu took the small, rough pottery cup with both hands and looked down at it.

The dew in the cup was only a shallow layer, crystal clear, but under the moonlight it swayed slightly, and a faint golden light seemed to flow within it.

This thing... is it Lingyang Dew?! Dew is the product of the Qi of Heaven and Earth. At night, when the Qi is clear, Yin descends and Yang rises. The Yin Qi of water attaches to plants and trees and condenses into dew.

This kind of dew can be used to collect the yin energy of water for cultivation. The so-called "eating wind and drinking dew" mostly refers to the use of this kind of dew. Zhao Yunshu collects the dew of hundreds of flowers every morning to obtain this wisp of water yin energy that has not yet dissipated.

However, this dew is very fragile. It disperses when exposed to wind and disappears when exposed to sunlight. It cannot be kept for long. If you wait too long, the yin energy of the water dissipates and it becomes ordinary water, which can only be used to make tea and cook rice.

Therefore, only a little bit can be picked in the morning. Zhao Yunshu usually picks a few small cups in the morning, which is actually enough for a day's cultivation.

However, there is another rare case.

A tiny drop of dew that naturally condenses on the tips of plants, at the moment when the yin energy of water is abundant and has not yet dissipated, and at the very instant of dawn when the sun's essence first descends, yin and yang meet, and only then can a wisp of extremely subtle and wonderful yang energy be conceived in the dew.

This wisp of yang energy does not dissipate when it enters water, nor does it dissipate when it encounters yin. It is like the eye of the yang fish in the Taiji diagram, with yang within yin and fire within water, hence the name "Lingyang".

The Inner Biography of Emperor Wu of Han states: "He caused the withered trees to be nourished by the divine sun."

This shows the wonders of the Spirit Dew.

However, such a creation is beyond human control. Often, even on an acre of grassland, the tips of hundreds of thousands of grasses may not produce a single drop. Even if someone tries to find it, they may not be able to find it among tens of thousands of plants.

Moreover, the spiritual essence only lingers in the dew for a short while; it dissipates when the sun is high and disappears when the morning breeze is strong. If it is not picked at that exact moment, it is no different from ordinary dew.

If Zhao Yunshu were to collect them himself, it might take a year or two to gather enough for this small cup, by which time the ones he collected before would have gone bad. So he generally doesn't bother with that; it's like buying a lottery ticket.

Now, these dozens of lost souls, overnight, have gathered in the wilderness dozens of miles west of the city to form this small cup.

Zhao Yunshu looked down and noticed that the arms, faces, necks, and shoulders of these dead souls were covered with burns. Some had charred flesh, some had torn flesh, and some were still sizzling with white smoke.

These are marks from sunburn. For ghosts and spirits, even in the early morning when the sunlight is weak, it is no different from being burned by flames.

In order to gather this small cup of Spirit Dew, these souls actually searched for it one by one, in the early morning light!

What's the difference between this and searching for a needle in a fire?

"You..." Zhao Yunshu began, but couldn't finish her sentence.

Seeing this, the old man bowed deeply again and said, "Master, there's no need to worry. We are about to enter the cycle of reincarnation. What is this little sunburn? You are not related to us, yet you are willing to go to great lengths for us. We are just a group of useless, lonely ghosts. This is all we can do for you!"

Before the words were finished, the sound of chains dragging on the ground came from the temple gate. It turned out that the two underworld messengers had urged them several times.

It seems that the reason these souls were able to linger for so long and not get lost even after traveling dozens of miles to find dew is because these underworld officials showed leniency.

The ghosts no longer lingered; they all vanished and went to be reincarnated.

The underworld official gazed in the direction where the souls had vanished, shook his head, and chuckled, "In my years serving in the underworld, I've seen many powerful and influential cultivators drive thousands of laborers to search for this Spiritual Dew, but they might not even find three or five drops in a morning, often working in vain." "Yet these few dozen souls collected so much in one night, more than those thousands of people searched for over several days. Daoist, if you ask me, this is truly a matter of fate."

Zhao Yunshu did not answer, but looked down at the small, rough porcelain cup in her hand.

The Lingyang Dew in the cup is crystal clear, with a faint golden light flowing gently within it.

This stuff won't last long; if it's not consumed in time, it will turn back into ordinary dew after a short while.

Without thinking further, he tilted his head back and drank the dew in the cup in one gulp.