“Old lady, please don’t panic!”
Wu Ming pressed his fingers against her pulse, slowly channeling a stream of true energy, but found it only slightly relieved the condition, causing his brows to furrow.
If this had been a common illness like typhoid or other ailments, with just a flow of his true energy, although not necessarily strengthening the foundation and curing all diseases, at the very least it would have refreshed the patient and restored consciousness.
But now it was a case of evil supernatural invasion, entirely a different matter from true energy.
“Ah… I never thought the first time I’d use this would be on a woman like her…”
Wu Ming pulled out a yellow talisman, his face slightly twitching.
But it was just one talisman, related to the City God’s secrets, and seeing how pitiable this family was, he decided to go ahead.
“Please fetch a bowl of water!”
Although Wu Ming appeared to be only about fifteen or sixteen years old, his gaze exuded great authority, and his every movement carried decisiveness, making it impossible to disobey.
The fisherwoman quickly agreed and immediately fetched a bowl of hot water.
The bowl was a coarse ceramic one, with much of its glaze chipped away, and a chip on the rim, filled with clear water.
Wu Ming said nothing, pinching the talisman between his right index and middle fingers, and then flicked it.
Hiss!
A flame appeared, instantly igniting the talisman. Bright yellow flames devoured it, turning it into wisps of ash that continuously fell into the water.
The fisherwoman beside him was somewhat stunned.
“Feed this demon-dispelling talisman water to your daughter! Then prepare a clay pot and other items…”
Wu Ming stood up, letting out a slight sigh.
If it were a real Taoist priest using magical power to activate the evil-repelling talisman, the effect would have been even better, perhaps not even requiring dissolving the talisman in water.
However, a martial artist’s true energy and a Taoist’s magical power, both being supernatural forces, naturally had commonalities. When Wu Ming selected talismans and other items, he specifically chose those usable by ordinary people, so there was no problem.
Still, this was as far as it could go.
True high-level talismans, or high-grade magical treasures and Dao artifacts, could only be used by cultivators, and even required certain cultivation attainments from the Taoist, something beyond Wu Ming’s current capabilities.
“Yun’er woke up! Yun’er woke up!”
At this moment, they heard Xu’s wife exclaim excitedly. The little girl on the bed fluttered her eyelids and opened her eyes, her face showing pain, then suddenly crawled to the edge of the bed and began vomiting.
The vomit was as dark and thick as ink, emitting a foul stench, within which tiny worms seemed to wriggle.
The girl continued vomiting until she had expelled nearly half a jar of black liquid, then fell into a deep sleep. Although her face remained pale, the previous bluish-black hue was gone, her breathing even, and her life had been saved.
“After she wakes up, brew some ginger soup or something similar to nourish her with warm, positive energy, and she’ll be fine…”
Wu Ming flicked his sleeve, opening windows and doors. A breeze swept through, clearing away the foul air, then he walked outside, gazing at the river, lost in thought.
“Benefactor! Your life-saving grace is beyond repayment. From now on, even if I must toil like an ox or horse, or repay you in my next life, I must repay your great kindness!”
Behind him, Xu’s wife stepped out and suddenly knelt in deep gratitude.
“There’s no need for that!”
Wu Ming raised his hands to help her up: “The reason I saved this girl is merely because I have some questions needing your answers…”
“Benefactor, ask anything, and I shall answer everything I know!”
Xu’s wife replied solemnly.
“Actually, this matter… is greatly related to your daughter. You must have noticed, she wasn’t suffering from an acute illness, but was possessed by evil spirits!”
As soon as Wu Ming spoke, Xu’s wife nearly collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant, murmuring: “Indeed… indeed… I knew it, it would never leave us alone…”
“Who is ‘it’?”
Wu Ming asked immediately.
Xu’s wife slowly shook her head: “Benefactor, better not know. Otherwise, it will only bring trouble upon you, how could I live with myself?”
“This trouble already exists… You know about the notice in the county? It was I who accepted it!”
“You?!”
Xu’s wife exclaimed in surprise, then nodded: “Then I should indeed tell you everything!”
“Alright, your husband, Xu Liulang… I heard he associated with water spirits and land deities. Is that true or false?”
Wu Ming asked directly.
“It’s true indeed…”
Xu’s wife seemed lost in thought: “Liulang was generous and open-hearted, always willing to be kind to others. He also had the ‘yin-yang eye,’ enabling him to see the underworld. When fishing previously, he befriended a water ghost, thus enabling him to always return with a full catch…”
“Later, that water ghost accumulated merit and was appointed as the land deity of Heishui Town. Liulang, remembering his old friend, often visited him, always returning drunk after hearty drinking sessions…”
“Several months ago, Liulang appeared frightened, telling me his old friend was in grave danger and must be saved, so he went to Heishui Town… Who would have known… that this departure would become an eternal farewell! Waaah…”
Clearly moved by painful memories, her tears flowed like broken beads.
“Bravely rushing to help a friend in need, indeed a true man!”
Wu Ming praised, then asked: “Do you know who his enemy was?”
“Although he didn’t want me to know, I overheard fragments… it was the Black Wind General, one of the eighteen mountain and river chieftains under the Heishan Lord! It seemed he and the Heishui Town land deity were fighting over the divine position…”
Xu’s wife wept as she spoke, while Wu Ming felt his head growing larger.
“Heishan Lord? Eighteen chieftains? Black Wind General? And a divine position?”
He immediately realized he seemed to have gotten involved in something serious.
Recalling that Heishui Town was at the foot of Heishan Mountain, like a battlefield frontline, with hints of a struggle between two powerful figures behind the scenes, he felt a chill.
After a few more questions yielding no further information, Wu Ming left a few silver coins and departed with a sigh.
…
“Heishan Lord? Sounds like someone with a noble title, but since it includes ‘mountain,’ could it be a mountain god? Or perhaps simply a great demon?”
Wu Ming felt his head aching.
At this moment, after wandering around twice, he happened upon Dongshui Alley’s sign. The first mansion on the street was the Ye family’s, sprawling in size, with two imposing stone lions at the entrance.
“To learn about Heishan Lord’s origins, I must consult the county annals and geographical records…”
Resolving this, Wu Ming arrived at the Ye family’s gate: “Is Young Master Ye Xiaoyou at home? I am Wu Ming, a friend of Young Master Ye’s, we had previously made plans…”
The gatekeeper, seeing Wu Ming’s noble bearing and distinguished demeanor, dared not be negligent, immediately going inside to report.
Not long after, Ye Xiaoyou came out smiling to greet him, addressing him respectfully: “Brother Wu, you’ve made me wait indeed! Reflecting on those two lines of poetry you shared, the more I think about it, the more meaning I find. I was just about to seek your advice…”
…
“Heishan Lord?!”
In a small courtyard of an inn where Shan Lan and others were staying, hearing Wu Ming’s account, everyone looked incredulous: “Could our target really be him?”
“Not exactly!”
Wu Ming replied: “I borrowed the county annals from a scholar’s home and learned that this figure’s origins are mysterious. Legend says he was a general from the previous dynasty who slaughtered countless people, and after death, his soul became a deity, ruling over the three-hundred-mile Heishan Mountain. Of course, there’s another theory that he was a black tiger spirit who proclaimed himself Heishan…”
“Regardless, this matter is troublesome…”
Shan Lan’s face turned ashen: “Being a mountain deity, he can draw upon the spiritual energy of the three-hundred-mile mountain range. He doesn’t even require much human worship, his power is vast, even surpassing the City God!”
Such deities of famous mountains and rivers naturally have the support of the land’s spiritual energy, making their need for human faith minimal.
In comparison, they are even freer than the Black Platform City God.
Of course, their power level is also accordingly greater.
After all, one controls three hundred miles of rivers and mountains, while the other only a small county town; the difference in strength is obvious.
“Furthermore… just from the records and other scattered hints, we know this Heishan Lord is powerful, tyrannical, and not a benevolent deity…”
Wu Ming sighed: “The situation is clear now… The upheaval in Heishui Town stems from the vacant land deity position… Behind it all, there’s definitely Heishan Lord’s shadow… Of course, according to my estimation, our target might only be that Black Wind General!”
“Of course, only that Black Wind General! Otherwise, even if we all combined our strength, it might not be enough for that mountain lord to even sneeze on us…”
Shan Lan rolled her eyes: “Still, now the Black Platform City God is involved… This is no small matter, but the rewards will certainly be substantial… Perhaps even divine decrees!”
“Divine decrees?!”
Wu Ming knew about them, but such things were useless to the living, only effective for deceased spirits or spirits and monsters. Although they could grant immortality, they were considered inferior.
“At least it’s some insurance after death… But… in this world, would divine decrees still work in the Great Zhou Dynasty?”
Wu Ming asked with a skeptical look, instantly leaving Shan Lan speechless: “Probably… maybe… somewhat effective?!”
By the end of her sentence, even she wasn’t very confident.
“Alright… Whether wild geese are steamed or boiled, we must catch them first…”
Wu Ming smiled: “The situation is now clear… The original land deity of Heishui Town was dispatched by the Black Platform City God, intending to establish a foothold at the foot of Heishan Mountain. However, the Heishan Lord struck back fiercely, his subordinate, the Black Wind General, killing the land deity, perhaps even usurping the divine position, releasing many vengeful ghosts, disturbing the people’s peace…”
At this moment, he felt some lingering fear in his heart.
Thankfully, he hadn’t recklessly charged deep into Heishan Mountain earlier, or if he had encountered the Heishan Lord himself, it would have meant certain death with no hope of burial.
Clearly, the Main Divine Hall wouldn’t have sent them into a deadly confrontation in Heishui Town blindly, hence the release of the notice and investigation missions.
Now, however, it was time for the final showdown.
As Wu Ming’s thoughts stirred, a prompt from the Main Divine Hall appeared:
[Side Quest: Investigation (Completed!)]
[Main Quest Activated: Uphold Justice]
[Scenario Description: With your keen insight, you’ve uncovered a series of conflicts between the Heishan Lord and the Black Platform City God. Unwilling to see the people suffer, you choose to stand on the side of righteousness!]
[Quest Objective: Within ten days, defeat or expel the Black Wind General and restore peace to Heishui Town!]
[Reward: Completion of the main quest grants 500 minor merits! Defeating the Black Wind General grants an additional 1000 minor merits! Additional merits will be awarded for defeating other spirits and monsters!]
[Difficulty: Hong!]
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