Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Tang Qin covered her mouth and laughed: "Now ghosts are closer than gods, even Hell doesn't have a True God overseeing it.

Don't even mention the evil ghosts in the Eighteen Layers of Hell who might escape, even some with lighter sins can ask Ghost Messengers for leniency. My uncle was redeemed from the Tongue Pulling Hell by maneuvering.

However, on the surface, appearances must be kept up, so the redeemed evil ghosts should avoid appearing in public. That's why I found my uncle's remains and refined them into a corpse ghost, so he won't be caught and taken back."

Jiang Yuan: ...

So the appearance of a Ghost Soul Beast at Lotus Peak likely means an evil ghost escaped from Hell? The key is when did that thing appear deep in Lotus Peak?

If it was before Xiaobai set up the array, that's fine; but if it came in after the array was set, doesn't it mean those arrays were meaningless?

Any somewhat powerful ghost can pass through them as if they don't exist. What safety is there in the Second Home?

"Mr. Jiang asked about the Ghost Soul Beast; could he have seen it somewhere in the Netherworld?" Tang Qin pursued: "Do you need me to help investigate the news from Hell?"

He nodded heavily in concern and said, "Today I found one in the deep mountains of Lotus Peak. As Miss Tang mentioned, if Ghost Messengers are sending Ghost Soul Beasts to track and kill escaped evil ghosts, our area might not be very safe."

The other party's already pale face flashed with a trace of seriousness, "Ah, then I need to increase the monitoring of our surroundings by the little ghosts.

If indeed an evil ghost has escaped from Hell, it's no trivial matter. I heard that hundreds of years ago, an evil ghost escaped and wreaked havoc on the Netherworld... Mr. Jiang, keep your courtyard safe as well. I'll have my subordinates keep an eye out, and if there's any movement, please have the old man return to the city to hide."

"Thank you for your effort, Miss Tang."

"No need for thanks, Mr. Jiang. As neighbors and friends, we should look out for each other." She smiled sweetly, "I'll have the little ghosts inquire about the situation in Hell. Maybe it's just a false alarm. Once this matter is settled and I'm not as busy, we'll explore the unknown void together."

Jiang Yuan agreed and then remembered the issue of poison. Since he's in the Netherworld, he might as well gather some potent poisons as reserves to take back.

After all, the Thirteen-Flavor Antitoxic Pill doesn't specify the exact types of poisons required, just thirteen kinds are needed. The variations just lie in the different quantities used.

Thus, he proceeded to ask, "I need some poisons for alchemy. Miss Tang, you are skilled with poisons, could you help find some different types of raw materials?"

"Any poison is fine?" Tang Qin flicked her fingers and took out some Corpse Poison Liquid used for making Corpse Poison Pills from her Storage Bag, handing it over, "You can take these to see if they are usable. In a few days, there's going to be an auction at the underground Black Market in Mountain Shadow City, where many ghost cultivators and stalls will gather. Mr. Jiang, please be patient and when I attend the auction, I'll look for more poisons."

There's an auction?

Excellent!

Seeing his eyes light up with interest in the auction, she seized the opportunity to continue the topic, "Actually, we ghost cultivators shouldn't exist in the Netherworld. In the era where the Netherworld was governed by True Gods, souls entering would first go to the Fifth Hall's Mirror of Karma.

Those guilty would redeem their sins and go to Hell; the innocent, based on their accumulated virtue, would enter different level Ghost Cities to wait for reincarnation; some would enter the City of Unjust Death.

At that time, only Ghost Messengers were qualified to engage in cultivation. Ordinary souls in Ghost Cities lived similarly to people in the Human World, conducting everyday activities. Some who committed misdeeds in Ghost Cities would be taken to Hell; others would continue to accumulate virtue and advance their reincarnation date or get promoted to Ghost Messenger to secure a post exempt from reincarnation.

But later, with ghosts drawing nearer and gods becoming distant, Hell officials became temporary agents; the Ghost Messengers were temporarily promoted, naturally following fewer rules than official ones.

Additionally, certain capable wandering souls in the gray zones began to profit, rendering Ghost Cities ungovernable. In-fighting for power frequently led to battles, eventually forming the current delicate balance.

The cultivation techniques among ghost cultivators diversified, leading to some powerful individuals being directly recruited by the Underworld to serve as proxy officials. But we never reach such a level, so ghost cultivators rarely have large gatherings.

This upcoming auction at the underground Black Market in Mountain Shadow City is arguably the most lively in nearly a century. Ghost cultivators will gather, with frequent appearances of elixirs, cultivation techniques, and magical treasures. I plan to sell some Corpse Poison Pills and refined corpse ghosts. If Mr. Jiang is interested, you are welcome to join me."

Jiang Yuan thought that he shouldn't be very busy recently; besides, side quests have no time limit.

Currently, the only clear time marker is at the end of the month when he has to bring Spirit Fruits to meet Seventh Girl by appointment; and then at the beginning of next month, he needs to take his apprentice to the Celestial Sword Sect to see his grandfather.

"Alright, I'll wait for Miss Tang's news and accompany you to see something new!"

This trip to the Netherworld has yielded much; after bidding farewell, he returned to Lotus Peak. For safety's sake, he rode a paper crane and carried the Soul Refining Banner, diligently patrolling the area, feeding the banner and ensuring no immediate threats remained.

Then he instructed Old Master Wan to be cautious; any abnormalities should be immediately relayed back to the city for him to handle. Having received a firm confirmation, Jiang Yuan finally clicked to return to his main home.

Approaching noon, the small courtyard was very quiet, with the early summer sun gradually becoming intensely warm, casting a dazzling golden layer over everything.

The wind rustled the wheat fields;

The birds sang sweetly and melodiously from the branches;

The Furong Spirit Pool emitted the gentle sound of water trickling, without Wan Mingchuan shouting or jumping around, and without Yun Shu buried in "printing" talismans, he really felt a bit unaccustomed to such a quiet courtyard.

"What Bluebird said makes sense, they all need to go out and grow, not be greenhouse flowers!" Jiang Yuan gave himself a pep talk and decided to get busy.

With a thought, he opened a new tab page and entered "One Acre Spirit Field."

The magical treasure given by Lin Yao proved very simple and practical, as Jiang Yuan shifted into the one-acre Spirit Field, he was presented with a square patch of land which showed no apparent special qualities.

However, the Spirit Medicines planted here had already taken root and sprouted tender greens, appearing to mature much quicker than those in the medicine garden.

[The Spirit Field is about to dry out, needs timely watering]

The system timely popped up a reminder, which made Jiang Yuan realize it required daily watering, just like the system-designated farmland.

Fortunately, to upgrade his Farming Skills and avoid being limited by level when needed, he no longer let Xiaobai help with watering. Instead, he upgraded his water well to Level Four and crafted the simplest irrigation water pot bought from the mall from a broken Level One to a glowing Glowing Golden Water Pot.

Filling a pot of well water enables watering six plots of land simultaneously, significantly increasing work efficiency.

Additionally, the water pot's capacity greatly enhanced, allowing sufficient watering for half an acre before needing refilling, in contrast to its past limitations.

[4-Level Water Well: Superb water quality suitable for direct consumption, adds random 15% Physical Strength when used in cooking; randomly increases 15% crop yield when used for irrigation, with further quality improvement upon upgrade]

The new water well's appearance is naturally more appealing, with an antique charm fitting the aesthetic of the Level Four house.

Moreover, with higher levels, efficiency also increased significantly. Contrary to tedious manual drawing methods of Level Three and lower, now crystal clear sweet well water brimmed to the verge, easily filling the water pot within seconds.

Walking while spraying and watering, the one-acre Spirit Field soon became moist with a faint earthy aroma, nourishing the tender Spirit Medicine sprouts and visibly stimulating their growth.

"After giving up absorbing lifespan to save those cultivators and earning a hidden achievement in Wo Hu Mountain, all skills uniformly increased by one level. Now, apart from fishing and gathering, all other basic skills are at Level Seven. How can I quickly gain favor from the elves to get the Resurrection Talisman blueprint?"