Chapter Seven: Entering the City

"Let me ask you, in wandering the martial world, is righteousness more important, or is your life more important?"

"Righteousness?"

"Wrong."

"Then, life?"

"Think again."

"But master, you only gave me two choices."

"Ah, that's why I say you can't survive in the martial world. The mind is the most important thing! Be righteous when it's time to be righteous, protect your life when it's time to protect your life—do you understand?"

Shen Chang'an gazed at the veteran beside him, whose words were so upright and earnest, and fell into deep thought.

"I feel like you're indirectly calling me stupid."

"Not at all. I'm your master, after all."

Shen Chang'an sighed. Since leaving that day until now, he had been following the old Taoist for over a month.

In ancient times, cities were few and far between; the two had spent almost the entire month in the wilderness and rural areas. To come across even a small town was a rare event. Larger cities, they had not seen at all.

Shen Chang'an asked the old Taoist where they were headed, but the old man only said they were going to collect a debt, never specifying the exact place.

During this time, Shen Chang'an also learned a bit of so-called Taoist arts from him.

According to the old Taoist, Qingping Palace was once a great sect, its Taoist techniques numerous and miraculous, and its elders were like immortals capable of moving mountains and crossing seas. But now, all those divine arts and spells had long vanished, leaving only two books behind: "The Upper Clarity Responsive Method" and "A Brief Guide to Talismans."

The "Upper Clarity Responsive Method" was a cultivation manual, but Shen Chang'an studied it for half a month with no success. And, as the old Taoist said, even if he managed to grasp it, it would likely be inferior to the Taoist's own skill of living by consuming qi, so he set it aside for now.

As for the "Brief Guide to Talismans," this was a book about drawing talismans. Over the past month, whenever he had free time, Shen Chang'an would practice writing and drawing with clear water on the parchment book. The book itself was impervious to water and fire, drying quickly after each practice—a perfect tool for learning.

He had shown the parchment book to the old Taoist, but unfortunately, the old man saw only emptiness, not a single word, and after much study, came to no conclusion—thinking that Shen Chang'an was merely playing tricks on him.

Aside from these, there were also bits of knowledge about cultivation.

Shen Chang'an had expected the old Taoist to explain the stages—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core—but the old man said that each sect's cultivation methods were different, as were their bottlenecks; there was no universal ranking.

Most of the small bits of knowledge dealt with names and explanations of human meridians and acupoints, but even more were tales of monsters and spirits.

Though the old Taoist's skills weren't remarkable, he was a seasoned wanderer. Having traveled far and wide, he knew many stories in this realm. Over the month, their journey was mostly enlivened by the old man's tales.

"We're almost there."

After walking most of the way, the old Taoist suddenly stopped, gazed into the distance, and sighed softly.

Shen Chang'an looked at him in confusion and asked, "Master, you don't seem very happy?"

Wuyouzi chuckled and replied, "If you had a debt that might turn rotten, would you be happy?"

Shen Chang'an's heart stirred. It seemed his master's debt was not so simple.

A short while later, a city appeared before them. This was Shen Chang'an's first time seeing a city with towering walls, but after a few glances, he lost interest—after all, he'd seen plenty on modern television; nothing extraordinary.

---

Nevertheless, the city was fairly bustling. As they approached, they saw scattered crowds slowly heading toward its gates.

"Why are there so few people?" the old Taoist muttered.

Shen Chang'an looked around and said, "Master, isn't this quite a few?"

"You know nothing! On a normal day, at least three or four hundred people enter the city. Today, I'd wager it's not even a hundred—something big must be happening inside."

"Should we leave, then?"

The old Taoist's face darkened. "Have you forgotten what I've taught you?"

Shen Chang'an realized, "Is this the time to show righteousness?"

"No, it's the time to eat! We've been walking for a month—our food and money are almost gone!"

"But isn't it because you refused payment…"

"Nonsense! Righteousness, righteousness! Do you understand?!"

Shen Chang'an pouted but said nothing more.

On the road, they'd passed through several villages, occasionally encountering small ghosts. If there was no danger, the old Taoist and Shen Chang'an dealt with them together. Afterwards, the villagers wanted to give them chickens, ducks, fish, geese—yet the old Taoist refused every offering.

Despite his unserious demeanor, the old Taoist had a soft heart. The villagers had little money, and those animals were valuable assets for them—he couldn't accept their gifts.

Only once did he make an exception, taking some dried fish when he was starving, and even then, he quietly left some money for the family.

Shen Chang'an simply ate nothing, since hunger didn't bother him. If luck favored them and they caught a rabbit in the hills, he'd join in for a meal.

Even so, after a month, they were out of food and money.

"I'll try the Jade of Zhonglong Talisman first."

The so-called Jade of Zhonglong was one of the Seven Scenic Spirits of the Qi Division in the Upper Celestial Cave, as recorded in the "Seven Tablets of the Cloud Book." It was also one of the Eight Scenic Spirits of the Three Divisions, governing the nose—in other words, the god of the nose.

The old Taoist took out a jade talisman, held it to his nose, and inhaled. Streams of blue, yellow, and white qi flowed into his nostrils. He took a deep breath, and his face changed dramatically.

"Go, go, go!"

Shen Chang'an was startled. "Master, aren't we going to eat?"

Hearing this, the old Taoist paused, paced about for a moment, then stomped his foot and said, "Ah, let's go in first and take a look."

Shen Chang'an quickly replied, "Master, I can do manual labor for people. With my strength, you won't go hungry."

After a month and a half, Shen Chang'an's magic had improved greatly. He was much stronger now, able to do the work of four or five men. If he really needed to earn his keep, there'd be no problem finding food.

The old Taoist glared at him. "Do you think I'd let my disciple toil to feed me? Come on, let's enter the city."

With their minds made up, they wasted no time and soon reached the city gate.

Their appearance stood out among the crowd.

The old Taoist's robe was ragged, patched here and there, resembling a quilt of scraps. Shen Chang'an's clothes were traded from villagers, but his short hair made him look like a monk just returned to secular life.

As they reached the gate, the old Taoist handed Shen Chang'an the travel pass he'd produced earlier.

---

The original owner of the pass was dead, but its issue date was only a year or two ago. Even if Shen Chang'an used it, no one could spot the difference. It wasn't like a modern ID card; impersonating someone was easy.

Moreover, Lingxiao was the old Taoist's junior brother. If he said Shen Chang'an was Lingxiao, no one from Qingping Palace could say otherwise.

The soldiers at the gate were tense, checking everyone thoroughly. Any odd movement, and they drew their weapons, as if the slightest rustle might be an enemy.

"So something has happened…"

The old Taoist sighed, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

With few people entering, they soon reached the front. After checking their belongings and examining the pass, the guard took out a talisman and waved it before them. Seeing nothing amiss, he let them pass.

"Master, what talisman was that?"

"Monster-seeking talisman. If it senses demonic qi, it ignites. But it only works up close. Called a monster-seeking talisman, but all it really does is distinguish monsters."

"So it's not as good as our Jade of Zhonglong Talisman?"

"Of course not! A scrap of talisman paper can't compare to the god of the nose!"

Talking as they walked, they entered the city. Inside, they saw a crowd gathered near the gate, watching something.

"Master, what's that?"

"A notice board."

Shen Chang'an had never seen one before. In the modern world, everyone has the internet—news is just a click away. He'd forgotten that in ancient times, important announcements were posted for all to see.

The board was covered with notices, big and small. But two matters dominated, catching the eye instantly.

First, the Qian family, an influential household in the city, was plagued by ghosts and sought experts for help.

Second, nearby cities had reports of man-eating evil spirits in disguise, harming people. Everyone was warned to be cautious, especially around strangers.

"Nearby cities?"

Shen Chang'an's heart skipped a beat—could it be the city he and the old Taoist chose not to enter before?

But it didn't make sense; they'd traveled almost a month to get here. How could the evil spirit be a threat from such a distance?

His thoughts spun wildly. Suddenly, a warmth spread across his chest. He reached out and found the ancient beastskin book.

He ignored the crowd and opened the book.

On the second page, beneath the line of text, a picture had appeared.

It was a blurry figure, but its blue face, fierce tusks, glaring eyes, and savage expression were faintly visible.

"Damn…"

Shen Chang'an cursed under his breath. This wasn't a threat from a distant city—the evil spirit had already infiltrated here!