Zhang Chen was not an ordinary person; he tried repeatedly until midnight, when Xiaodouding yawned, picked up a book, and headed upstairs. "I’m sleepy, I’m going to bed. You’d better sleep early too so you don’t be late for morning class."
After Xiaodouding left, Zhang Chen continued to study the talismans.
"Something’s not right, the ones I draw don’t look right! How could a talisman have over twenty strokes? I must have drawn it wrong." Zhang Chen counted the strokes of his talisman, recalling videos he’d seen online in his previous life, none seemed to have more than five strokes.
After thinking for a while without finding any clue, seeing the sky darkening, Zhang Chen directly tossed the wooden stick away, then leveled the yellow sand without leaving any trace, before getting up and returning to the bed to meditate.
First, he practiced Qi cultivation, and after completing the magical power exercise, he began visualization to restore his soul.
"Cultivating magical power requires the power of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, whereas cultivating the Divine Soul Dao uses Essence Qi to nourish the spirit, seemingly a completely opposite path."
But now Zhang Chen’s cultivation was shallow, and he didn’t yet know the advantages or disadvantages.
The next day, early morning,
Xiaodouding yawned and pulled Zhang Chen out of bed, both lazily heading towards the square to continue their daily morning class.
Then came washing up, having breakfast. Breakfast was a bowl of porridge, tasteless and plain, completely flavorless.
After breakfast, Zhang Chen looked at Xiaodouding, and Xiaodouding also looked at Zhang Chen. "Are you full?"
"With just this amount, being full would be a miracle." Zhang Chen said irritably.
"Now the Law Enforcement Elder is keeping an eye on the kitchen... I have an idea for getting full, but I don’t know if you dare to try it?" Xiaodouding said.
"Hmm? Is there anything I wouldn’t dare to do?" Zhang Chen said.
"Follow me!" Xiaodouding dragged Zhang Chen, sneaking around, avoiding people along the way, until they came to a secluded big hall in the backyard. Inside the hall was a statue dressed in a yellow robe, decorated entirely with rice ears.
The entire hall housed only one statue, of a man wearing a yellow turban, holding a treasure sword, seemingly fighting demons and evil, looking very impressive.
The most crucial point was that in front of the altar were fresh fruits and steaming cake plates.
"This is our Yellow Heaven Dao Ancestral Master’s hall; apart from major rituals on the first and fifteenth day of the month, nobody would randomly come in to disturb. But the offerings in the hall need to be replaced daily." Xiaodouding acted like he was at home, taking a piece of cake and stuffing it into his mouth, looking like a cute hamster.
"Why don’t you eat?" Chengyu said after eating a piece of cake, seeing Zhang Chen still standing there.
Zhang Chen didn’t hold back, stepping forward to pick up a plate, both of them eating heartily, even Zhang Chen feeling parched, took a pear to refresh himself.
Xiaodouding followed suit, munching on a pear.
Just when they were happily eating, suddenly there were footsteps outside. Both Zhang Chen and Xiaodouding paused as they were eating pears and cakes, giving each other a look. Xiaodouding said irritably, "Certainly not this unlucky, right? The Ancestral Master’s hall doesn’t usually have people come other than the daily cake offering change, how come someone is here today, really seeing ghosts."
After speaking, Xiaodouding took a plate and directly crawled beneath the altar’s curtain.
Zhang Chen looked at the altar, feeling a bit shadowed; if he accidentally heard another secret he shouldn’t, wouldn’t it cause more trouble later?
But at this point, looking carefully around the hall, there was no hiding place. There was a hiding spot behind the statue, but climbing up to it wasn’t something he could do.
As the footsteps got closer, Zhang Chen had no choice but to crawl under the curtain, the next moment seeing two figures blocking the light from the doorway, then walking into the hall and standing silently.
Through the gap, Zhang Chen’s pupil shrank; he recognized one of the people, the rascal who extorted him in Mr. Wuliu’s grass hut.
"Master, don’t be angry anymore, it’s all my fault; I’ve returned home and asked my father to handle the matter. Once we trick that woman out of the Daoist temple, we definitely won’t let her have another chance to come back alive and cause trouble." At this moment, a young man said, filled with fear and trepidation.
"I’m not angry? Do you know how big a trouble you’ve caused this time? How much impact you’ve had on Yellow Heaven Dao’s reputation? If Prince’s grand plan gets delayed, forget about you, even if your father Mr. Wuliu were here, a hundred heads wouldn’t be enough to chop off." At this time, an authoritative middle-aged man spoke.
"Master, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to handle everything perfectly, definitely won’t let that woman talk nonsense again." The young man knelt down, swearing to the heavens.
"That woman is pregnant with your child, can you bear to harm her?" The middle-aged man responded slowly.
"For Prince’s grand plan, I’m willing to sacrifice my own life, let alone just an unborn child!" The young man’s voice was cold.
"Good, with such determination, I’m very pleased. Children are nothing, you can easily find other women to have dozens more later, they aren’t worth lamenting." The middle-aged man agreed with him:
"Prince has sent us to infiltrate Yellow Heaven Dao to uncover the secret of Divine Enthronement, to find out the hidden truth about immortality, which is the real matter concerning our future. Any mistake would mean our heads rolling; nothing can interfere with our main plan."
"But Yellow Heaven Dao has hidden the secret of Divine Enthronement very securely; I’ve been in the Daoist temple for five years without finding a single clue." The young man said with a grievance-filled face.
"Divine Enthronement is Yellow Heaven Dao’s core secret, not passed to outsiders or those without great merit, not even I can touch that secret. But now there is an opportunity right before you; if you seize this chance, you can surely acquire this great secret." The middle-aged man said.
"Please guide me, Master," the young man hurriedly said.
"The upper echelon of Yellow Heaven Dao plans to hold a major event, selecting a few seeds to infiltrate the Inspection and Supervision Department and the court as spies. This time, to accomplish the grand plan, the higher-ups have put in a lot of effort, granting twelve mysterious items, selecting twelve seeds, who will become the pillars of Yellow Heaven Dao’s future. Our Huangli Temple has been assigned a unique item with no rank!"
"They’ve really put everything into this, taking out all their foundations. Once someone obtains a mysterious item and becomes a divine being, joining the Inspection and Supervision Department will be a breeze. Passing the identity verification there is practically guaranteed. You know, divine beings are extremely rare, even the Inspection and Supervision Department can’t refuse them. Once inside, with the status of a divine being, you’ll certainly ascend to the department’s higher ranks, adding strength to our Yellow Heaven Dao’s grand plan."
"And Prince’s intention is for us to acquire that mysterious item, become one of Yellow Heaven Dao’s twelve seeds, and then act as a double agent—also a good option." The middle-aged man said.
"But how do we obtain that mysterious item?" The young man asked.
"The upper echelon has already set the rules, it’s likely through martial competition. Suitable disciples of spy age will compete, whoever’s Martial Dao is superior will obtain that mysterious item. You’ve already refined Dark Force, and your age is just right; this is perfect for you, almost tailor-made for you." The middle-aged man said.
"I will definitely work hard, not letting this opportunity slip." The young man said.
"Haha~ Stand up, deal with that woman, never let this affect your reputation, nor bring trouble to the Daoist temple." The middle-aged man said.
"Rest assured, Master, I’ll definitely handle it beautifully." The young man continued to make promises.
While speaking, the middle-aged man noticed the altar and saw the mess on it. Not only were the fruits reduced, but all the cakes were gone, even the trays were missing.