Master of Strange Dao

"Now that we're at my house, there's no need for a guard here. Take a rest."

"Alright, sir, if there's anything you need, feel free to instruct me."

Cheng Shujiang returned to the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, while Yu Ziqing shook his head.

He wasn't a firsthand participant, and indeed, found it hard to empathize. Why were these guys so unwilling to transform?

But he could understand it.

In that ghost era, even if one wasn't fully awake, merely opening one eye to catch a glimpse would bring unbearable pain.

The only pain that could suppress the agony of starving ghosts was the pain within the heart.

Therefore, Yu Ziqing did not regret his actions during the Dingmao Era one bit.

What changes might occur in the outside world? Whatever.

...

In the wilderness,

A figure shrouded in mist tossed a persistently writhing spirit grass to the Black Robed Man.

"The Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure you wanted, this Returning God Grass, is enough for you to recover."

The Black Robed Man inspected the spirit grass, then pocketed it, speaking coolly,

"Wu is dead, sealed away, killed by a Tenth Tier powerful cultivator who became Devilic.

That Prefectural Governor, to avoid calamity, abandoned his own cultivation, which gave Qing Ziyu the chance to escape."

"And what about that Mountain Goat Demon?"

"Also dead."

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

A hint of aggressiveness appeared in the aura of the Black Robed Man.

"I saw it with my own eyes. My eyes aren't blind, and though my Primordial Spirit is injured, it hasn't perished, is there more?"

Sensing the shifting aura of the Black Robed Man, the Mist Man cautiously stepped back a few paces.

"No need to get angry, I'm just asking for more details."

"Hmph, I have my methods of doing things, not for you to dictate."

Feeling the Black Robed Man's shifting aura, the Mist Man prudently retreated a bit more.

For a cultivator of the Primordial Spirit Realm to question a low-tier Body Cultivation practitioner, there were indeed many methods. The questioned party might not even realize they'd been interrogated.

And it would be difficult to lie to a cultivator of the Primordial Spirit Realm.

That's why the Black Robed Man was dispatched.

Of course, they certainly hadn't anticipated that the Black Robed Man's method was just to face the other directly, utterly lacking in sophistication.

Yet sending a Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator in itself became something sophisticated.

Without the Black Robed Man's word, no one would know the insider story.

"Recently, there's another task requiring you to make a trip, a very simple matter."

"What is it?"

"To watch over the Family Heads of the Feng and Yin Two Families."

"Watching them for what purpose? Are you planning to act against the Feng and Yin Two Families?"

"You've got it wrong, we've never intended to act against them. We merely borrowed the power of the Feng and Yin Two Families.

Now, it's just right, needing a powerful figure to personally watch them."

"Isn't there anyone else?" The Black Robed Man was clearly disinclined to do this task, desiring only to find a place to recover from the Primordial Spirit's injuries.

"Others can't do it. Because recently, several places, due to the sealing of Dadui, have undergone some changes.

Even the Feng and Yin Two Families have been affected. A few days ago, the Feng Family had a faint flash of Ninth Tier aura.

Everyone we had watching was discovered.

They just relayed one message, then they all vanished, neither alive nor seen dead, their soul lamps have not extinguished.

Among them was an Eighth Tier Incarnation Realm cultivator. I suspect they were sealed by people from the Feng Family."

"Feng Buju advanced?" The Black Robed Man gasped in shock, utterly astonished.

The Feng and Yin Two Families had gone ages without a Family Head advancing to the Ninth Tier.

Having lived long enough, he vaguely knew that the leaders of the Feng and Yin Two Families seemed never to advance to the Ninth Tier.

Those who advanced to the Ninth Tier were always non-leaders.

And whenever a Family Head of the Feng and Yin Two Families advanced to the Ninth Tier, it meant big trouble was brewing.

"Not certain yet, it could also be some hidden old Undying from the Feng Family who never shows their face."

"In such a situation, with even my incarnation lost, you expect me alone to keep an eye on the Feng and Yin Two Families? Are you insane or am I?"

"Add in another Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure." The Mist Man decisively upped the ante.

"Then I'll only watch the Yin Family, you find someone else for the Feng Family."

The Mist Man paused for a moment, noting the Black Robed Man's firm stance, then reluctantly nodded.

"Alright."

After the Mist Man departed, the Black Robed Man, now possessing two Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, chuckled coldly and thought to himself.

What a farce.

This generation of the Feng Family was already stronger than the Yin Family.

If it were someone else in the Feng Family advancing, it could be manageable, but if Feng Buju advanced, he would rather forgo the Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure than spy on the Feng Family.

These people, they would eventually play with fire and get burned.

The Feng and Yin Two Families never widely recruited disciples, relying solely on their own bloodline, managing to carry on since ancient times, with their heritage remaining intact, scarcely diminished.

Not something to be taken lightly.

Taking advantage of the Yin Family's long-term peace, absence of enemies, and diminished vigilance, they pulled a fast one on the Yin Family, thinking the Feng and Yin Two Families were easy to provoke.

Such long-established families, the Black Robed Man had never been willing to mess with.

Spying on the Feng Family was certainly not an option, but keeping an eye on the Yin Family was feasible.

Yet this would merely be spying, while recovering from injuries, anything else would require a separate deal.

...

In the secret chamber, the Mist Man turned to the person sitting in the corner.

"He's getting more outrageous."

"Hehehe…" The person in the corner chuckled strangely, the sound eerie, like the low hoot of a night owl, carrying an ominous whiff, "Getting paid to do the job, an old truth, nothing too outrageous about it. With several Ninth Tiers fallen, the cost of doing business naturally rises, I'll reimburse you later."