"Where in the city might you have sensed the presence of evil spirits or demonic entities, Fellow Daoist Zhao?" Ji Yuan, walking ahead on the street, suddenly inquired without warning.
Zhao Yuansong chuckled. Having traveled the martial world a few times and not being a newly recruited disciple, he naturally understood the caution in the other party's words. Without a second thought, he named several locations within the city.
There were three suspected places where evil spirits might be hiding.
One was the Xiyu River that ran through the county town. The demonic energy there was subtle, clinging to the riverbed, making it extremely difficult for cultivators of the same realm to detect.
Another was a few secluded residential alleys in the west of the city, where a faint scent of blood and malevolence lingered, making it hard to determine if they were ghosts or demons.
As for the last location, it was several districts near the county yamen. It was rumored that people had been going missing there frequently in recent days.
"In the places where those people disappeared, I have repeatedly sensed a hidden aura, somewhat akin to demonic cultivation techniques," Zhao Yuansong explained everything he knew without reservation.
After hearing the description, Ji Yuan felt a slight ache in his head. The three suspected locations of evil spirits sounded troublesome even just listening to them. Demonic energy at the riverbed, blood fiends in the residential alleys, and demonic auras near the county yamen. Ji Yuan suddenly felt the county town was unfamiliar. How could so many evil presences suddenly appear?
"Young Daoist, what is it you seek after embarking on the path of cultivation?" Zhao Yuansong's eyes flashed, and he cast a meaningful glance at the young Daoist beside him.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan was taken aback. He didn't quite understand why the other party would suddenly ask such a question. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Naturally, it is to seek longevity." He shrugged inadvertently, a hint of helplessness creeping into his tone without him even noticing.
After reading a few Daoist scriptures and accidentally achieving enlightenment to become a cultivator, everything seemed to proceed naturally. The Grand Dao Charter left by his ancestors appeared before him, and the profound principles of alchemy and talisman crafting that emerged within it were understood with just a few glances. From then on, he practiced alchemy and talisman crafting daily, meditated, and cultivated his techniques. Occasionally, he would practice swordplay and movement techniques in his room, naturally accumulating a considerable foundation. However, if asked what his pursuit was after embarking on the path of cultivation, he genuinely couldn't think of anything. This was because his future path seemed to be laid out, and he only needed to follow it step by step to effortlessly reach a distance that ordinary cultivators could not attain in their entire lives.
"I heard that without any enlightenment techniques, you, young Daoist, attained enlightenment merely by reading a few Daoist scriptures," Zhao Yuansong inquired with curiosity. "Yet, with such talent, why have you remained in the early stages of enlightenment for over a year?" He had initially thought the other party lacked the resources for cultivation. However, while exploring the city yesterday, he unexpectedly learned that the young Daoist of Xuantian Temple was one of the foremost alchemists in Qianyu City. The pills he refined, both in quality and variety, far surpassed those of other alchemists within hundreds of miles. Among cultivators, alchemists were the wealthiest, with instances of pills selling for exorbitant prices.
"You are asking too many questions, Fellow Daoist," Ji Yuan said casually, his tone suddenly growing colder. Beside him, his fifth senior brother silently shifted a few steps, positioning himself between them. Seeing this, Zhao Yuansong's expression shifted slightly, a subtle smile flashing in his eyes. He did not press further, as if he had already obtained the answer he desired. The group of seven fell silent. After about half an hour, they finally stopped before a humble small courtyard. This was the most remote area in the east of the city, mostly inhabited by the poor and hardship-stricken. At a glance, one could barely see any intact houses. Along the roadside lay people resembling withered bones, clad in ragged clothes. The two young men and women, presumably seeing such a scene for the first time, almost bent over and gagged from the stench pervading the air. The arrival of the group caused no stir; most of the surrounding people merely glanced at them before continuing to sit or lie on the ground, trying not to move.
"Don't the local authorities do anything about this?" the young girl named Xu Qiqi finally couldn't help but ask the senior sister beside her. Upon hearing this, the faces of the group showed complex emotions, unsure of how to answer. The young man Jiang He, however, suddenly showed a flicker of anger in his eyes, and then said indignantly, "To those esteemed officials, their main concern is burying their heads in research to get promoted and enrich themselves. Who would bother with this thankless task?" As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang He received a flick on the forehead, and the pain almost brought tears to his eyes. He looked at his senior brother with a wronged expression. Zhao Yuansong retracted his hand, looked at the gaunt, emaciated people surrounding them, and then said in a low voice, "It's not that the government doesn't care; it's that caring is useless." He paused, shaking his head with a sigh, unsure how to explain the situation. He wanted his junior disciples not to misunderstand, but also for them to retain hope in the world after knowing the truth. Ji Yuan glanced at Zhao Yuansong, pondered for a moment, and then said, "These are people who are unwilling to work but want money to come into their pockets on its own. The government has tried to help them before, but it only drew curses." Amidst endless curses were those who wanted to gain without effort, preferring to starve to death rather than find some work. There were also those good-hearted individuals who responded to the government's call and were willing to offer some assistance. The former cursed the officials for not directly giving them hundreds or thousands of taels of silver so they could live a life of luxury without breaking a sweat. The latter also cursed the officials, resenting those in high positions for their unrealistic ideas, which caused their good deeds to be marred by these useless people, making the atmosphere chaotic and even disturbed. After repeated instances, the government completely lost hope. At most, they would contact local gentry and wealthy individuals to donate some money for grain and occasionally open a porridge stall to keep most of the people in this area barely alive. In reality, those who stayed here were to blame for their predicament. Even if they starved to death, no one who knew the situation would offer them any sympathy. Because those who truly wanted to live a good life, or were unwilling to degenerate like this, had already left this place to find work and support themselves. Those who remained were truly beyond saving. Yet, even though they had given up on themselves, there was still a foolish scholar who stubbornly refused to give up on them. That scholar was once the talented young man of Qianyu City. After years of diligent study, he advanced steadily and passed the county examination, even easily securing the top spot in a prefecture. However, just as he was about to go to the capital for the imperial examination, for some unknown reason, as if his mind had gone haywire, he abandoned the readily available official career and turned into this almost forgotten corner. The scholar spent all his fortune, attempting to change the people here, but in the end, this talented fellow, amidst the sighs of outsiders, wasted several years of his life. "We've arrived, this is the place." Ji Yuan led the group to a neatly maintained courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence. His fifth senior brother, Guo Tao, strode into the unlatched courtyard gate and knocked on the door, calling out. "This scholar is truly a pity," Zhao Yuansong sighed with deep emotion. A Confucian scholar who had won the top spot in a prefecture and had begun cultivating early could at least become a local official or dedicate himself to scholarly pursuits in an academy. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he insisted on abandoning those easily attainable things and voluntarily plunged himself into this noxious mire. "Everyone has different thoughts. Perhaps to him, those readily available fame and fortune are more repulsive," Ji Yuan said with some helplessness, without commenting on whether the scholar's actions were right or wrong. Soon, Guo Tao returned quickly, reporting that no one was inside. However, there was a stone pressing down a piece of paper at the door, stating that the owner of this place was out on business and could be visited another day. "It seems we came for nothing," Ji Yuan looked at the people behind him. "I'll come back another day. Let's go to Baiyun Temple now." The group did not harbor any resentment for their wasted trip. Instead, they showed some regret for not having met that scholar. Ji Yuan observed the expressions of the five disciples from the Nine Xuan Sect. As they were all from reputable sects, their temperament and cultivation were far superior to those of Li Mufeng and his companions from Tianhe Commandery. After just over an hour of interaction, he even had a changed perception of the Nine Xuan Sect, a sense of closeness subtly forming in his heart. If not all of their disciples, but even half of them, were like this, the sect would undoubtedly live up to its name as a reputable one. About another hour later, the group finally arrived outside Baiyun Temple in the west of the city. This temple was built next to a bustling market, full of people. The street in front of the entrance was lined with countless vendors selling various incense, candles, and small Buddhist artifacts. Even from a distance, a thick plume of incense smoke could be seen rising from the temple, intermingled with strands of golden light. In terms of prosperity of incense offerings, let alone Xuantian Temple where pilgrims were few and far between, even the City God Temple couldn't compare. One wondered if the City God, who was officially appointed by the court, might occasionally feel envious. "I didn't expect the incense offerings here to be so prosperous," Zhao Yuansong's expression couldn't help but change upon seeing this scene. The Great Yu Dynasty revered Daoism. Temples were numerous within its borders, and even the state religion belonged to a powerful lineage within Daoism. Even the common people of Great Yu were influenced by the court and naturally gravitated towards Daoism, making it difficult for other sects to develop. The situation at Baiyun Temple, as it was now, was not entirely unheard of within the Great Yu Dynasty, but it was certainly extremely rare. "Baiyun Temple is not only a Buddhist temple but also a place of cultivation," Ji Yuan explained in a low voice to the group. Among Buddhists, there was no concept of cultivation sects. Even if two monks practiced different Buddhist teachings, they could still cultivate together. It was common for monks from various regions to gather in a single temple.