Xiang Wenqing had opened his spiritual eyes at around twenty. He had spent nearly seven centuries cultivating. For a cultivator over seven centuries old, twenty years old was equivalent to when an ordinary person had just been born and hadn’t yet opened their eyes. He had long ago forgotten what it felt like to “be mortal.” When he fell from the sky into the earth, he was knocked silly. 

He felt as if lead had been poured into his limbs, trapping him firmly on the ground. His arms and legs were powerless, each movement slowed down countless times because of their sluggishness. The spiritual sense that had covered all his senses was completely gone, leaving him “deaf” and “blind,” only able to hear sounds within a few zhang of him. In the night, he couldn’t even clearly see the birds’ nests on the trees beyond ten chi away. His free consciousness was also trapped inside his skin… He clearly sensed the dense spiritual energy passing by him, but that spiritual energy had absolutely no connection to him! 

The legitimate immortal sects had always looked down on common cultivators, calling them “evil cultivators.” These people spent all their time dodging and hiding, struggling amongst themselves, racking their brains to win some scant resources. Did that deserve the name of “cultivation”? After a life and death struggle to establish a foundation, all they could do was count the days until they lost their minds or became the meritorious service of some half-immortal from an outer sect. 

But first there had been Qiu Sha slaughtering dozens of ascended spirits, and now Yu Chang had escaped his spiritual image brand and used an unheard-of evil art to strip an ascended spirit of his powers! 

Where were all these people coming from? What had gone wrong with the world? Was there a major tribulation on the way, the hosts of evil about to run wild? 

Tao County’s Seventeen Li Town—Wild Fox Country—was the easiest place to live in all of Tao County. People came and went here. If you set up a stall, you would be able to feed your family. It was much easier than getting up before dawn to do manual labor. But there was no such thing as a free lunch. If the money was easy to earn, you had to bear the risk. The residents of Wild Fox Country were most frightened of being woken in the middle of the night by the sounds of cultivators fighting. There wouldn’t even be time to pray that you wouldn’t get involved. No one had ever dared to stick their heads out and watch the fun. 

But tonight, mysteriously, the people seemed to have gained some mystical courage. When the loud noises from the direction of the Snake King’s Immortal Palace ceased, as if they had agreed in advance, the people pushed open the corners of their windows one after another, quietly discussing with their neighbors. 

Someone said, “I just dreamed…that Tai Sui appeared to me.” 

As soon as these words were spoken, the people were silent a moment, then there was a splash, one stone raising a thousand waves. 

“And here I thought I’d dozed off!” 

“I didn’t dare to say it just now, I was afraid people would think I’d lost my marbles.” 

“I heard it. I hadn’t finished mending the autumn clothes, I wasn’t sleeping.” 

“Tai Sui said…” 

In a place with abundant spiritual energy, all living things thrived. Even mortals who hadn’t opened their spiritual eyes could sense that Tao County’s night was unusually clear, as if something had changed. 

If everyone had had the same dream, then…could it be real? 

After a moment, a group of strong people in the prime of life spontaneously stood up and decided to go have a look. They each took a convenient defensive tool, ganged together, and went towards the Snake King’s Immortal Palace, where the sounds had come from. 

They were stupefied. 

The Snake King’s Immortal Palace, as luxurious as an emperor’s palace, had been flattened. Not one of the immortals who were always going in and out was there. With such a big patch of land suddenly emptied, all the locals felt that the place had become unfamiliar. 

A sharp-eyed youth suddenly called out: “Look, there’s someone there!” 

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that among the ruins was a man in green clothes, with a green jade crown, with wide green sleeves. He was self-important and oppressively noble. 

With style like this, could he be a Qilin Guardsman? A person next to the youth pressed his hand down in a hurry. “Great heavens, you can’t go around pointing at the Qilin Guard.” 

With the fearlessness of youth, the young man said curiously, “Oh? Are there cripples in the Qilin Guard?” 

Only then did everyone discover that the noble was limping as he walked. He wasn’t precisely a cripple. He seemed to have sprained his ankle. 

The Qilin Guard…could also sprain their ankles? 

So in front of the ruins of the Snake King’s Immortal Palace, Xiang Wenqing stared helplessly at a big crowd of the ignorant masses hefting hammers, chisels, axes, and saws. 

He was a mighty administrator of Sanyue’s Principal Peak, a member of Dongheng’s imperial family. Even inner sect disciples didn’t dare to stare him directly in the face when they met him. This was Xiang Wenqing’s first time in his life being observed by a big crowd. Their stares made him bristle all over! 

For a time, he had only one thought: Leave! I have to leave this place as soon as possible! 

This awesomely powerful master was like an injured lone wolf who had strayed from the pack and accidentally wandered into a herd of bison, filled with dread by the dark and densely-packed herbivores. Enduring the pain in his ankle, Xiang Wenqing backed away from the crowd, heading north without daring to linger for a moment. 

The villagers didn’t know his history, and looking at his expression of wary haughtiness, they didn’t dare to strike up a conversation. Soon, all the people in Seventeen Li Town, seeing that the others were all right, also came out one after another to take in the new sight. 

The people stared at Xiang Wenqing like spectators watching a monkey. He had never known that two legs could be so inconvenient and that Tao County’s roads, fallen into disrepair, could be so bumpy, so overgrown! 

The other cultivators in Tao County were the same. Some tried using immortal tools, some formed hand seals for talismans over and over to no avail… Each and every one acted like they had lost a part of their body. 

The calmest ones, meanwhile, were among the Luwu. 

The Luwu had been Kaiming Cultivators to start with. They had been trained in haste as cultivators. Being mortal was what they were used to. On losing their powers, the vast majority only felt that it was slightly unfamiliar. They didn’t feel like they had become “disabled”; moreover, these people worked as spies, and apart from the immortal tools supplied by Moon Plated Peak, they knew all the tricks of mortal spies, and they had prepared multiple identities when infiltrating Western Chu. Since Xu Rucheng and some others had been transferred to the Zhao family hidden realm, the “Snake King” had been played in turn by a group of people, while the others had created various identities of cultivators and mortals in Tao County in case of urgent need. 

Some of the Luwu had only come to Western Chu as reinforcements after the Zhao family’s treason, so they had experienced the ten days that Great Wan’s spiritual energy had been prohibited. The second time was easier. They quickly calmed down. 

None of the communication devices worked, but they could actually still use the reincarnation wood amulets. It was evident that this Senior “Tai Sui” had unfathomable depths indeed. 

Tai Sui said, “If you have a mortal identity, go back to it. If you don’t, hide with a colleague… Cough-cough, don’t, don’t let anyone see you.” 

The Luwu gave affirmatives and smoothly dispersed into Tao County’s nooks and crannies, becoming a wandering troupe of performers and wandering officiants who specialized in overseeing weddings and funerals—like Xu Rucheng had been at the start—as well as barefoot doctors, passing peddlers…

Only Zhao Qindan was still bewildered and helpless. Wei Chengxiang tugged at her. “Come with me.” 

“Where?” Zhao Qindan, unwilling to give up, was still forming hand seals. There was no reaction, so she was about to pick up a spiritual stone. “I can’t use…” 

Wei Chengxiang held her hand down, took off her own bamboo hat, and put it on Zhao Qindan’s head, pulling down the brim to cover her face. She said almost inaudibly, “Put away your spiritual stones. From now on, don’t reveal to anyone that you’re a cultivator.” 

Zhao Qindan said, “Huh?” 

Wei Chengxiang didn’t explain further. She pulled her familiarly through the lanes. 

If her guess was right, this must be the Law Breaker. 

Wei Chengxiang’s mind worked quickly. As the Law Breaker’s previous master, she was the only person who generally understood Tai Sui’s arrangements right now: the Law Breaker had vanished after Qiu Sha’s death, so Sanyue was certain to have sent people to make a close search for it, only leaving helplessly when they came up empty. 

And a month later, Yu Family Bend’s chief offering suddenly escaped the spiritual image brand that had trapped him for four centuries, publicly betrayed his masters, blew up the Yu family’s spiritual stone storehouse, and used the Yu family’s spiritual stones to offset the Moon’s Shadow in Tao County. 

Then this “great hero” used this unknowable object unbound by any laws to escape the pursuit of Sanyue’s Xiang Wenqing in Tao County. He had withdrawn after winning merit, his whereabouts unknown. 

No wonder Tai Sui had told her to set off the spirit-gathering array as soon as Yu Chang had set foot in Tao County, as if keeping in step with him, making it look as if he had activated the spirit-gathering array himself. 

No wonder Tai Sui had repeatedly ordered them to cover their tracks. 

It turned out that everyone was either “scenery” or a “stand-in.” Tai Sui had come on stage and assigned the role of “savior” to the chief offering from Yu Family Bend. 

Two years ago, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Qiu Sha, the first ascended spirit evil cultivator in history, had come into the world, sending the immortal sects into turmoil. 

Two years later, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, this legendary chief offering had taken her relic, offset the Moon’s Shadow right in front of a master from Sanyue’s inner sect, openly slapped Dongheng’s Sanyue in the face, then escaped unscathed. It was wonderful. 

After this, would the Mid-Autumn Festival become an evil cultivator holiday in Western Chu? 

Zhao Qindan tilted her head doubtfully. “Did you just laugh?” 

It had been a pretty malicious laugh, too. 

Wei Chengxiang said seriously, “No, you heard wrong.” 

Tai Sui was truly amazing. 

As for the minor walk-on actors like them, the best thing to do was to tuck their tails between their legs and blend in among the mortals… Fortunately, she was only a seller of Silver Tray Lottery tickets. 

Zhao Qindan was led through the complicated little lanes, quickly losing her sense of direction. After walking for half a shichen, they came up to a rundown house with a little courtyard. The neighbor’s dog stood up alertly, stared at the unfamiliar Zhao Qindan for a while, then seemed to recognize Wei Chengxiang, carelessly waved its tail, and lay back down. 

Zhao Qindan was just looking around in astonishment when a woven gate behind her was suddenly pulled open a crack. An old lady stuck her head out halfway. 

Normally, a half-immortal could hear a pin drop a hundred meters away, but under Tao County’s new rules, Zhao Qindan was currently also “half-deaf” and hadn’t noticed someone approaching. She was startled by the creak of the gate and gave a quiet cry. 

The old lady was very surprised. Hearing noises, she had thought there was a thief. She hadn’t expected to bump into the “young fellow” next door carting home a young lady in the middle of the night! 

What were public morals coming to these days! 

The old lady covered her face, feeling that she was about to get styes in her eyes. She drew back her head. “Goodness gracious!” 

Zhao Qindan: “…” 

No, wait! Auntie, it’s not what you think! 

Just as Zhao Qindan was getting ready to cry out “This is a woman dressed as man,” Wei Chengxiang opened the gate of the rundown courtyard, shoved the Silver Tray Lottery machinery blocking the door away with her foot, and beckoned to Zhao Qindan. 

Zhao Qindan covered her nose. “What is this awful place?” 

“Oh,” said Wei Chengxiang, bending down to pick up her scattered carving knives and half-completed carvings and toss them into a rattan basket, “it’s my home—there are some odds and ends, you can make do with it for a few days. When I’ve earned enough money to rent a shop, it’ll be all right.” 

Saying so, she picked up a pile of bottles and pots and looked at the young mistress’s pretty face, revealed now that the camouflaging spell had lost effect. “Come here, I’ll give you a mask that saves on spiritual energy.” 

Tonight’s sole main character Yu Chang had been hidden in the shadow of a tree. When the shadow transforming pearl unexpectedly lost effect, he appeared out of nowhere on a tree branch. Without spiritual energy to hold him up, the rough twigs couldn’t stand up to the weight of a grown man…especially since this one had been left holding several hundred bags. 

Before he could react, there was a snap. Yu Chang tumbled down along with the tree branch and nearly broke his tailbone on impact. 

In a house nearby, a dog heard the noise and got up. The big yellow watchdog was so skinny its ribs had nearly broken through its belly, yet it was still pretty determined to do its job. Teeth bared, it scolded the petty thief Yu Chang for disturbing the residents. 

Yu Chang broke out in a cold sweat from pain. “Beast.” 

But when he glared, the “beast” wasn’t in the least bit awed by this venerable fellow’s “immortal air.” Instead, it was provoked and launched itself forward with a howl. 

Yu Chang said, “You’re asking for it.” 

The look in his eyes became darker. He waved his sleeve to send this mad dog off…but failed. 

After a moment, the “chief offering acting behind the scenes in Yu Family Bend,” the “peak common cultivator who could stand up in battle against a master from Sanyue’s inner sect,” the “peerless genius who had opened his spiritual eyes at seven years old,” the “newly-minted savior”…whatever you called him, tonight, with no one around to care, he still suffered a crushing defeat at the paws of a country mutt. 

The dog even bit one of his shoes off. Barefoot, he was chased through the night. 

And the “Tai Sui” who had gotten him into this unbelievable predicament was doing no better. Xi Ping had held out and passed a message to the Luwu, then nearly fainted. His injured consciousness had been sent back to his physical body. He felt like he was dying. 

In this place where the use of spiritual energy was prohibited, the protective water dragon pearl had also lost effect. Only Zhaoting felt that there was something wrong with him. It buzzed in his spirit. 

Zhi Xiu was far away in the Xuanyin Mountains and couldn’t reach him, and anyway, a sword cultivator didn’t know how to heal. To keep shifu from pointless worry, Xi Ping forced his slackening mind to perk up. He whispered, “It’s all right… Shifu, it’s not so bad… Xiang Wenqing fell out of the sky and still has to walk back on his own, I…didn’t get the worst of it…” 

He had used a paperman to impersonate Yu Chang at the Snake King’s Immortal Palace. His true body meanwhile had been hidden in a little inn not far from the abandoned Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon station. 

A few days ago, when Xi Ping had come up with this plan, he had put the Luwu identity Bai Ling had given him to use—a Kaiming Cultivator who had turned away from the dark to seek the light. His real name in Great Wan was “Cui Yugan.” 

The false identity this Cui Yugan had used to enter Wild Fox Country was an unsuccessful musician who had been kicked out of a music hall because he had become a customer’s rival in love. He was getting on in years, empty-handed, making a living performing and writing letters… A romantic. 

After enduring for half a shichen, soaking his cotton clothes in cold sweat, Xi Ping stood up and pulled out a handkerchief, coughing up the bad blood caught in his chest. His mind, nearly delirious, finally cleared up. 

He breathed out, considered, and didn’t throw out the blood-soaked handkerchief—tomorrow he could use it as a prop to demonstrate a romantic’s “lovesickness.” 

Then he wiped his hands, and a qin appeared in them. 

Because the Law Breaker Bracelet was residing inside it, the Tai Sui Qin at present was probably the only vital weapon in all of Tao County that could be pulled out, but there was no way to use it. Right now, it was only an ordinary qin. 

Xi Ping also couldn’t send his consciousness out, aside from two places: inside the Law Breaker Bracelet—he was still the steward of the space inside the Law Breaker and could come and go freely. 

There was also the reincarnation wood. 

He had guessed before that, as an accompanying plant, reincarnation wood was more like a part of him than it was a “power.” When Xuanyin Mountain’s elders had severed Great Wan’s spiritual veins, it hadn’t stopped the reincarnation wood from passing messages, so the Law Breaker’s new rules ought to have been the same—indeed, he didn’t even need to test it to know. Xi Yue, thrown back to Jinping by the Law Breaker, hadn’t stopped talking. 

He was a little mute when he didn’t open his mouth. Once he started talking, he never stopped. 

“Hey, hey, all right, all right,” Xi Ping said softly, saving his strength. “I’m alive, everything’s fine.” 

Xi Yue said, “I’m going to report to His Highness Prince Zhuang immediately!” 

Xi Ping was indifferent—the water dragon pearl had lost effect and the Luwu had fallen out of contact. Was there any need to tell san-ge? He had probably already gone to polish the discipline rod. 

Xi Ping groaned weakly. “Have a heart, leave me in peace. I have a bad headache.” 

These words were most effective. Xi Yue didn’t dare to speak again. 

After Xi Ping with his “bad headache” finished acting frail and tricked Xi Yue into going away, he wasn’t idle. 

The next moment, he used the reincarnation wood to transmit the Law Breaker’s new rule to the ears of every person in Tao County…and to create a rough image: a Yu Chang modestly screening his face. 

San-ge didn’t want him to reveal his identity, and shifu didn’t want him to be the hope of the people. Doing the best he could, he would give the credit to Yu Chang-xiong. 

May the sages bless and protect Yu Chang-xiong, allow him to escape alive and become an ascended spirit soon. 

If the sages in heaven had been able to hear him, they certainly would have sent down a tribulation to strike him dead. 

Yu Chang, being cursed…no, blessed by him, sneezed, nearly sneezing out his lungs. There was a crowd of dogs behind him—the big yellow one had called over its friends. 

Suddenly, his body became lighter, and his stagnating essence once again began to flow through him. It was as if his head had floated up out of deep water to the surface. He could hear and see again! 

Yu Chang was surprised. He floated up and abruptly turned his head: there seemed to be an invisible boundary here, separating two worlds! 

What kind of power was this? 

He remembered the news that had come from Southern Wan before, that two shed skin elders had severed the spiritual veins, and all the spiritual energy in Southern Wan had stagnated for ten days. Tao County right now was a little like that. But to “sever the spiritual veins,” you had to strike directly at the immortal mountains. It would definitely cut off everywhere within the scope of the spiritual mountains. How had this Tai Sui cut off Tao County alone? 

For how long had he cut it off? Also ten days? Or longer? 

Yu Chang’s expression changed several times: he found that the hims Tai Sui had copied, while they had all wanted to kill him, all seemed to have coincidentally saved him. 

The copy at the rear mountain had blocked Xiang Wenqing for him for a moment, giving him the chance to escape to Tao County. The one in the Snake King’s Immortal Palace, meanwhile, had simply lured Xiang Wenqing away as he was hunting him. 

Now, spiritual energy couldn’t be used in all of Tao County. Tai Sui had reckoned correctly that when he found that the spirit-gathering array had been activated, he wouldn’t head inwards. He would definitely be by the border of Tao County, able to run out quickly. Xiang Wenqing, meanwhile, had been lured to the Snake King’s Immortal Palace in Seventeen Li Town. Without spiritual energy, he would have to walk. He would be trapped inside at least all night! 

Tai Sui had landed him with the blame and had deliberately left him a night to run. But while he knew this perfectly well, he couldn’t not run! 

A peak established foundation who hadn’t lost his mind in four centuries and was now no longer controlled by a spiritual image brand—even if he hadn’t done all this, could Sanyue let him live? 

Yu Chang thought, That’s eight lifetimes of bad luck for you! 

He swore and hesitated no longer. Amidst a great wind, he put the shadow transforming pearl in his mouth and flew away.