How did I, a fake bodyguard, become a terrestrial immortal?

Lu Yang stared at the open ferry gate on the south side, but did not take immediate action.

The more these extraterrestrial demons urged him, the more he felt there was something wrong in the city.

"What's wrong?" Fang Xuan asked.

"Chen Zhiyuan invited me to visit the city." Lu Yang looked at the carriage with white lanterns hanging on it.

"They were very enthusiastic, but they didn't say who would pay for the meal."

Dukou Pass is the only route to Wanhua Valley in the vicinity.

Right now, the only option is to go into the city.

"You may enter." Fang Xuan put away the black wooden plaque on Pei Wujiu's body.

Zhao Mingtang rode at the very front of the group.

Regardless of how many Faceless Ones remain within the Dukou Pass Town Martial Division, her status as Princess Yong'an at least gives ordinary constables something to think twice about.

The group arrived outside the South Gate.

The white-lit carriage remained parked in the middle of the road.

There was no coachman, nor any horses to pull the carriage.

The carriage was covered with a white cloth, and from a distance it looked like a square coffin.

Lu Yang lifted the carriage curtain.

There were no living people inside.

There is only one paper puppet, the same size as a normal person.

The paper puppet's face was painted with Lu Yang's features, and it was holding an invitation in its hand.

Lu Yang examined the paper puppet closely.

"This face is drawn much better than the wanted poster, and I look pretty handsome too."

Zhao Mingtang stood behind him: "That face belongs to Fang Xuan."

Lu Yang took another look.

Damn! He does look a bit like Fang Xuan.

It's rare for someone to take a serious drawing seriously, and yet they still manage to draw the wrong subject.

Lu Yang took the invitation from the paper puppet's hand.

There is only one line of text above.

We'll meet in the west of the city.

boring...

Lu Yang squeezed the paper puppet's hand, and Fang Xuan's expression changed slightly.

"Don't touch the paper puppet!"

The paper puppet's chest suddenly swelled up.

Cracks quickly covered his entire body. Lu Yang reacted swiftly, throwing the paper puppet back into the carriage and striking out with his palm.

He used his palm force to envelop the entire carriage and push it towards the open space outside the city gate.

The paper puppet exploded in mid-air.

Lu Yang looked at the scraps of paper scattered all over the ground.

"They would stuff explosives into the invitations when inviting people over."

"The way this place treats its guests is somewhat impolite, just like the director."

Fang Xuan picked up a piece of paper that hadn't been completely burned.

Besides the Gu energy, there were also faint traces of starlight remaining on it.

"The power of the extraterrestrial demons has already seeped out of the stone gate."

Lu Yang frowned: "Aren't they still locked up?"

"The fact that the soul cannot leave does not mean that power cannot penetrate it."

Fang Xuan looked at Pei Wujiu, who was tied to the horse.

"Especially when someone takes the initiative to guide you."

……

The ferry crossing was unusually quiet.

Shops on both sides of the street were closed, and not a single ordinary person could be seen.

Only the Zhenwu Division constables responsible for patrolling guarded the various intersections.

After Zhao Mingtang presented the Yong'an token, the constables did not continue to obstruct him.

As Lu Yang walked along, he saw more than a dozen wanted posters.

Each notice features a different portrait.

Some had square faces and flat noses, some had faces full of pockmarks, and one even had a face full of beard drawn on him.

Lu Yang carefully compared them for a moment.

"This one has a more masculine feel, I'll keep a copy."

Bai Yixin glanced at him helplessly.

He was already wanted throughout the city, yet he still had the leisure to choose a portrait.

"Master, aren't you worried?" Zhao Mingtang asked.

"Worrying won't solve the problem."

Lu Yang folded the notice and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Besides, I'm worth five thousand taels now, and I feel like my status has changed just by walking around."

The group arrived at the Wusi (military headquarters) of Dukou Pass.

There weren't many people inside the yamen either.

The remaining constables all wore expressions of disbelief when they learned that Pei Wujiu was a Faceless One.

An older constable voluntarily handed over the files from the past few days.

Zhao Mingtang glanced through the document for a moment and quickly noticed something amiss.

Three days ago, Pei Wujiu ordered a citywide curfew, citing a plague outbreak in the city.

People were not allowed to go out at will, and each household had to receive a dose of plague-avoiding soup distributed by the Zhenwu Division.

All those medicinal soups came from the west of the city.

"There is no plague at the ferry crossing," the older constable whispered.

"But it was Commandant Pei who gave the order, and we dared not disobey."

Fang Xuan arrived at a private residence opposite the government office.

The door was locked from the inside.

After the guards of Prince An's mansion broke down the door, they discovered that the family of five were all lying in bed.

They were still breathing, but no matter how much they called out, there was no response.

Everyone has a faint black line between their eyebrows.

Fang Xuan took out a silver needle and pierced it into the wrist of one of the men.

A glimmer of starlight quickly appeared on the tip of the needle.

"This is not an ordinary dream gu."

"The Faceless One planted a Soul-Swapping Gu in the medicine, which was originally intended only to extract the life force of the people."

"Now, another extraterrestrial force has emerged among the Gu worms."

Lu Yang looked around at the tightly closed houses.

"Is it like this throughout the whole city?"

Fang Xuan's expression was grave: "I'm afraid so."

There were at least tens of thousands of people at the ferry crossing.

If they were all infected with the Soul-Swapping Gu, the consequences would be far more severe than in Huai'an Village.

At this moment, Pei Wujiu, who was on horseback, suddenly woke up.

His arms were broken, but he didn't seem to be in much pain; instead, he had a strange smile on his face.

"It's too late."

Zhao Mingtang pressed the sword against his neck.

What's in the west of the city?

"The New World".

Tiny starlight appeared in Pei Wujiu's eyes.

"Without emperors, without aristocratic families, everyone can have a new identity."

"Starting tonight, there will be no more distinctions of rank or social status at the ferry crossing."

Lu Yang understood: "Since everyone has become a puppet, naturally there's no distinction between high and low, noble and base?"

Pei Wujiu did not refute.

He simply looked up at the darkening sky.

"Midnight is approaching."

"Once the Soul-Swapping Array is activated, everyone's soul will leave their body."

"Those empty shells will become containers for extraterrestrial beings."

Fang Xuan's expression changed drastically.

What the extraterrestrial demons truly lack is not power.

Rather, it is a physical body that can bear the soul.

Someone planted the Soul-Swapping Gu at the ferry crossing in advance, which is equivalent to preparing tens of thousands of usable bodies for them.

"The core of the formation must be in the west of the city," Fang Xuan said.

Lu Yang glanced at the sky.

They must get to the west of the city as soon as possible.

Just as everyone was preparing to leave Zhenwu Division, a bell suddenly rang out from inside the ferry pass.

Doors on both sides of the street opened one after another.

The people who had been asleep emerged from their houses.

The elderly, women, vendors, and even underage children were present.

Their eyes were tightly closed, but the dark line between their brows became increasingly clear.

Thousands of people filled the streets, completely blocking the road to the west of the city.

Zhao Mingtang gripped his longsword tightly.

These people are all innocent civilians.

They can't possibly fight their way through.

But what they didn't expect was...

The next moment, everyone opened their eyes at the same time.

There were no pupils in his eyes, only a scattering of starlight.

Thousands of people slowly turned their heads, all their eyes falling on Lu Yang.

They opened their mouths and uttered the same words: "Lu Yang, welcome home."