Chapter 146: Plans and the Oncoming Assault

"Shouzheng, she is the master of the Vermilion Bird lineage after all. Aren't you afraid of offending her by speaking to her like that?"

Jiang Mingyue sat next to Zhang Shouzheng, resting her chin in one hand and looking at him with a smiling expression.

Zhang Shouzheng chuckled softly, his expression turning solemn the next moment as he said, "Offend her? If she were truly angered by that, she wouldn't even be qualified to be the master of a lineage. Besides, I believe she won't blame me; otherwise, she wouldn't have told me so much."

"It's just that the enforcement elders of the Heaven Dao Sect are extremely formidable. If they decide to use the Soul-Searching Technique, I'm afraid even you won't be able to resist it. I know you have the ability to kill ghosts at the Yin-Manifestation realm, but those are living people we're talking about. Furthermore, I've heard that the enforcement elders of your Heaven Dao Sect cultivate extremely powerful Daoist arts, such as the Five Thunder Orthodox Method of your Azure Dragon lineage."

Jiang Mingyue tapped the table, the smile vanishing from her face.

"By the way, do you really only have one token for the Three Realms Market? If you had one more, I could take Jiuer to the Three Realms Market, and that way, we could avoid the enforcement elders."

Zhang Shouzheng grinned at Jiang Mingyue and held out his hand.

Jiang Mingyue pursed her lips at Zhang Shouzheng, gave his palm a light slap, and said helplessly, "This time, the Jiang family really only has one token, and it wasn't easy to come by. If the enforcement elders of the Heaven Dao Sect really do track you down, you can always take Jiuer to your ancestral home."

Zhang Shouzheng, however, shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "I don't want to cause any more trouble for the ancestors. The old ancestor is no longer in Dragon Capital, and I don't want to make enemies of the Heaven Dao Sect and our Li family either. I'll figure something out."

He had already obtained one token for the Three Realms Market, and Qian Sheng was currently recovering in the hospital. If Jiuer were to unleash her zombie power, what would the odds be of passing through the teleportation array to reach the Three Realms Market? He didn't doubt the enforcement elders' Soul-Searching Technique, and although Jiuer's cultivation had greatly advanced, one could never be too careful. Moreover, Jiuer held many secrets, but possessing zombie power was by far the greatest one. At the very least, it could not be exposed until Jiuer reached the Copper Zombie realm. Once she reached the Copper Zombie realm, her strength would increase exponentially, and coupled with her mastery of Daoist arts, even the elders of the Enforcement Pavilion would have to give her a wide berth.

The day passed in lingering anxiety. As soon as class ended, Zhang Shouzheng would ask Jiang Putisheng to take him to Jiuer's classroom to check if she was safe, and he specifically reminded her to stay vigilant.

After school, Zhang Shouzheng waited for Jiuer at the school gates, and then they returned to the hospital together.

Back in their quarters, Qian Sheng was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her eyes tightly closed. Next to her burned a stick of Mind-Calming Incense, and half a box of the incense rested beside the burner. Zhang Shouzheng trembled all over as he approached her, staring at the rapidly depleting incense in the box, his voice shaking:

"You... you..."

Qian Sheng's eyelids fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes and said with a playful smile, "What's wrong? Why are you trembling all over? Having an epileptic seizure?"

"My Mind-Calming Incense!"

Zhang Shouzheng reached out and snatched up the remaining sticks, staring at Qian Sheng with a vigilant expression, feeling like crying without tears. How precious was this incense? Yet this girl had used up the better part of it—and this was meant for healing injuries to the primordial spirit!

"So stingy, I only used a few sticks of your incense."

Qian Sheng pouted, looking at Zhang Shouzheng with a sullen expression.

Zhang Shouzheng gradually calmed his mind, took a deep breath, and asked, "You said ordinary people need a token for the teleportation array, but what about zombies? If Jiuer enters without using a token, will she be in danger?"

Qian Sheng frowned, looked Jiuer up and down, and let out a soft huff. "You want to take her in? Why? A zombie's physical body is far stronger than that of an ordinary person. If she can withstand the forces generated by spatial distortion, naturally she can."

"I'm just asking you, will you help me with this favor or not?"

Zhang Shouzheng let out a breath of relief, staring at Qian Sheng with round eyes.

After a moment, Qian Sheng finally nodded and said, "I can, but she must stay by my side at all times. If we encounter other enforcers in the market, she doesn't have a token and will be driven out. Furthermore, while the market is open, she cannot show her true appearance. I've already thought of an identity for her—she can pass as my maid."

"You..."

Jiuer gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and looked ready to strike again. Seeing this, Zhang Shouzheng immediately stepped in to block her.

"Shouzheng, I have a surprise for you tonight, consider it repayment for your help."

Qian Sheng looked mysteriously at Zhang Shouzheng. When he asked what the surprise was, Qian Sheng refused to say. Because of the matter with the enforcement elders, Jiuer did not go to the Yin-sha grounds that night, nor would she go for the next few days.

After nightfall, Qian Sheng led Zhang Shouzheng and Jiuer toward the peak of the mountain. A slender crescent moon hung in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars, and coupled with the evening breeze, it gave one a deeply comforting sensation. Moreover, Zhang Shouzheng's mind hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

After passing through the woods, Qian Sheng suddenly stopped, smiled brightly, and drove the withered wooden staff in her hand straight into the soil until it was deeply embedded. Then, she reached out, tapped the top of the staff, and began to chant incantations under her breath.

Before long, tender green blades of grass sprouted beneath the feet of Zhang Shouzheng and Jiuer, and flowers began to bloom all around them in clusters. Ten minutes later, this area had transformed into a sea of blossoms. As the breeze blew, a faint, ethereal fragrance drifted into his nostrils. Beyond that, he could actually feel the spiritual power within his body increasing bit by bit—growing steadily even without active cultivation.

Jiuer was also utterly enchanted. She spread her arms wide, letting the hair at the nape of her neck dance in the wind.

"I gathered the spirits of the flora to collect the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, consider it compensation so that you fellow won't secretly harbor a grudge against me for using your Mind-Calming Incense."

Qian Sheng walked up to Zhang Shouzheng with a beaming smile, revealing her pearly white teeth, and spoke.

At this moment, bathed in the moonlight, her skin seemed coated with a layer of shimmering silver. Her green dress blended seamlessly with the surroundings. She smiled brightly, resembling a woodland sprite. Among the blooming flowers, the hostility within Jiuer faded significantly, and she grew entirely tranquil, much like when they first met.

Suddenly, Jiuer's nostrils flared as she stared into the dark woods in the distance and said, "Careful, something is coming!"

The group instantly tensed up, but aside from the wind rustling the branches, the forest was completely devoid of other sounds. Qian Sheng hastily grabbed her staff, reached out with her other hand, and her expression turned extremely ugly as she gasped, "Not good! That corpse demon has tracked us down!"

The moment the words fell, a foul black wind blew out from the forest, carrying dense ghostly Qi straight toward the trio. Beneath the black ghostly wind, the soil slightly heaved, and a small mound of earth hurtled rapidly toward them.

"Qinya!"

Seeing this black Qi, Zhang Shouzheng's expression shifted slightly. The next instant, a massive black hand thrust out fiercely from within the ghostly fog, striking toward them with lethal force. This giant black hand had already condensed into a tangible form, something only ghosts at the Yin-Manifestation realm could achieve. The colossal hand carried a violent gale and extreme savagery. Zhang Shouzheng suddenly pulled out a sheepskin talisman and chuckled:

"Just in time. Let me test out this Five Thunder Orthodox Method talisman I drew with silver sand ink!"

With a flick of his wrist, the sheepskin talisman shook, causing the silver runes upon it to distort and crackle with lightning. He hurriedly tossed it forward, and the sheepskin instantly burst into a blinding silver radiance in mid-air. Three bolts of silver lightning, as thick as a person's arm, fiercely struck the giant black hand. The massive hand immediately fractured, and the next moment, the silver electric arcs detonated violently, shattering the giant hand into countless sparks no thicker than a thumb.

An angry roar echoed from the thick, viscous ghostly fog behind. The flowers surrounding the group began to wither one by one, and a suffocating aura of death permeated the air. A single arm suddenly burst forth from the soil, lunging to grab Qian Sheng by the neck. The humanoid figure carried a thick, nauseating stench and moved almost like a streak of phantom light, leaving Qian Sheng with no time to react whatsoever.

Fortunately, Jiuer, who stood beside her, instantly unleashed her zombie power. Extending her fingers, pitch-black claws several inches long materialized, and she fiercely slashed at the sudden, lunging hand.