Wait a minute, where is my master?

East Market Street had a new fountain added.

...

The evil spirits, upon hearing the man's words, revealed a look of terror in their eyes.

"Boss, you've achieved Divinity Transformation!"

The Lustful Evil Spirit said with delight, but her seductive voice, coupled with her fox head, sounded very discordant no matter how one listened.

The man with the sinister aura calmly nodded his head.

He ignored the look of reverence in everyone's eyes.

Within this formation, he had cultivated in seclusion, refining resentment for decades, relentlessly, night and day, without dare to slack off, and finally stepped into Divinity Transformation.

Now, all he had to do was to deal with these few little insects in the formation and transfer the position of the guardian of the formation's eye to Taotie. Then, he could leave the formation and pursue the "her" he had been longing for in his heart!

He wanted to stand before her with dignity and tell her that he had reached the Divinity Transformation Realm!

Only he was worthy to be with such a perfect woman.

That's right, the Arrogant Evil Spirit was a lovelorn fool.

He was secretly in love with Yan Meishan, the Third Elder of the Demon Sect.

And it wasn't just for a day or two, but from the very moment he gained spiritual intelligence and saw her for the first time, a seed of secret love was planted deep in his heart.

At first, he did not understand what this feeling was, but as he absorbed a great amount of resentment in this formation and incidentally witnessed many memories of the owners of that resentment, he came to realize that he fancied her, wanted to possess her, and desired to always be by her side.

Midway through, Yan Meishan had visited once, and the Arrogant Evil Spirit, plucking up his courage, revealed his feelings, thinking that if he did not succeed, he would accept his fate.

But after hearing his words, the Third Elder of the Demon Sect, who wielded the power of life and death over the evil spirits in the formation, merely smiled faintly.

"Little guy, you're still too weak. Wait until you've achieved Divinity Transformation and can leave the formation, then come find me."

From that day on, the Arrogant Evil Spirit began relentless cultivation day and night.

Today, he had finally succeeded.

With that thought, a trace of excitement couldn't help but appear on the composed face of the man with the sinister aura.

"I'll go deal with those little insects first, second brother, get ready. After I come back, you'll take over my position as the eye of the formation."

Having said that, the man with the sinister aura turned into a gray mist and vanished from the seat.

The evil spirits in the main hall were still immersed in their emotions over their leader's successful Divinity Transformation.

Only Taotie wore a pleased expression.

With the Arrogant one gone, he would be the boss—now he could absorb the lion's share of resentment within the formation!

...

In the kitchen.

Jin Xu and the other three were seated around the table.

"Did the seventh-grade constable knock himself silly? I asked him if he was awake, and he shouted not to kill him," thought the Taoist to himself.

Xu Qian also felt quite awkward, considering the scene at that time, where he and the strange beast were lying side by side.

It indeed looked very much as though he would be the next one to be smacked down.

"Ahem, Taoist Jin Xu, you've also found your demon pet, so should we think about how to get out of here?"

Xu Qian was the first to break the silence.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist said, "Hmm, we should indeed think about a way to get out."

After saying that, he stood up and walked around the kitchen, choosing a spot of empty ground that he felt good about.

Jin Xu didn't know how to get out, but he had his own method.

Just let off a Hand Palm Thunder.

Wasn't the formation in the Lezi Mountain Valley also broken in this way?

Since both were formations, the method to break them should be somewhat similar.

The Taoist leaped high into the air, golden spiritual power gathering in his palm, ready to smash forcefully onto the spot he had chosen.

At this moment, a chill wind suddenly rose in the kitchen, and resentment swept through the area.

A dense gray mist spread out from the walls on all sides, and ripples formed on the spot of empty ground below the young Taoist.

Suddenly, a man with a sinister aurora appeared there.

The powerful spiritual sense of the Divinity Transformation Realm directly enveloped everyone present.

Xu Qian was pressed down so heavily that he slid off the chair and onto the ground.

Yu Yaoer and Little White didn't fare much better. The two women propped each other up, one radiating a glow of water-blue light, and the other emitting bursts of green light, struggling to hold on.

"I..."

Golden lightning flashed by.

The man with the sinister aura returned to heaven and earth.

The formation broke apart, and the surrounding gray fog gradually dissipated.

Jin Xu landed.

Did I just hit someone?

The young Taoist looked at the fountain before him, which had spilled water all around, and fell into deep thought.

As the pressure of his Spiritual Sense lifted, Xu Qian, who was lying on the ground, looked up at the tall silhouette of Jin Xu and felt a surge of strong security.

Wasn't this the powerful support he had been searching for over the years!

...

East Market Street.

A few people exited the old residence of the Zheng family.

They found that a crowd had already gathered at the steps outside the door, whether they had been waiting there early for news or were attracted by the towering fountain was unknown.

As the group emerged, murmurs arose from the crowd.

At that moment, a beautiful woman standing at the forefront burst into tears and ran over.

Upon seeing Jin Xu's face, her steps, originally heading towards Xu Qian, turned towards the young Taoist.

"Esteemed Taoist, is my son..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yu Yaoer blocked her way.

Anyone wishing to approach their young master had to get past her first!

"That's the concubine of Magistrate Song, and also the mother of Third Young Master Song," explained Xu Qian in a low voice.

Hearing that it was their patron, Jin Xu pulled back the Little Fish Demon that was in front of him and walked up with a smile.

The beautiful woman threw herself into Jin Xu's arms.

"Esteemed Taoist, has my son been killed?"

After speaking, she began to sob quietly.

The young Taoist held up his hands, his face showing embarrassment.

He had come to inquire whether there was any reward left, as he hadn't managed to save the person.

Unexpectantly, this patron threw herself into his arms upon arrival.

Yet, he thought it might be an act of disrespect brought on by her excessive grief over the loss of her son.

"Ahem!"

A light cough sounded.

Hearing the cough, the beautiful woman quickly moved out of the young Taoist's embrace and stood aside.

An elderly official dressed in dark purple garments embroidered with cranes and clouds on the front and a seal hanging from his belt approached from the foot of the stairs.

He was followed by a scholar holding a feather fan and a guard with a long sword hanging from his waist.

"This is Magistrate Song."

Xu Qian played the role of a helpful bystander and once again reminded aloud.

After speaking, he stepped forward to pay his respects.

Jin Xu also said, "Greetings to Magistrate Song."

That counted as a greeting.

He had always been polite towards his elders.

The stern face of Magistrate Song carried hints of fatigue, and his eyes were slightly red, whether from a lack of rest or hidden tears was unclear.

After exchanging greetings, he then spoke, "Thank you both for your efforts. May I know where the remains of my son are?"

In the ancestral shrine of the Song family, each direct family member had a Life Lamp, and it seemed he was already aware of the misfortune that had befallen his youngest son.

Xu Qian stepped forward, handed the shattered jade axe to Magistrate Song, and said, "Magistrate Song, this is an artifact belonging to the third young master."

Then he turned to look at Jin Xu, signaling for him to quickly produce the corpse.

Jin Xu froze, realizing that in his hurry to find Yu Yaoer, he had forgotten to attend to Third Young Master Song's remains.

"The body of the third young master is still in its original place, I didn't dare move it," the Taoist came up with an excuse and secretly apologized to Magistrate Song in his heart.

...

Fortunately, the remains had not been disturbed.

The guard following Magistrate Song, along with several government officials and constables, carried out the body of the third young master.

Seeing his once lively son turned into a mummified corpse, tears welled up in the slightly reddened eyes of Magistrate Song.

He had been indulgent with his late-in-life son.

Yet, due to his busy public duties and old-fashioned nature, there had been little communication between father and son—most of his upbringing was left to his mother.

This year, as his son reached the age of maturity, Magistrate Song wanted to compensate for his absence by giving him a Protective Dharma Treasure found by an old friend in Shangjing City, not expecting it to become the source of an elder sending off a younger.

He was already aware of the absurd bet his son had made to verify the treasure by entering the old Zheng residence.

Thinking of this, Magistrate Song felt a wave of disgust looking at the beautiful woman crying over the dry corpse; if not for her excessive indulgence as a mother, his son would not have met such a tragic end.

With a hint of anger, he spoke sharply, "What dignity is there in weeping and wailing on the street? Take care of your son's body immediately."

After speaking, he also invited Jin Xu and Xu Qian to his residence for further discussion.