Chapter 94 Part 1

Everyone fell into silence. After Qiu Shui finished recalling, she noticed that the three of them were all looking at her. A bit embarrassed, she said, “Sorry, I tend to zone out as soon as I get here. Do you all want to see Xiao Xian?”

Shang Shan nodded a few times. “Mm-hmm.” She then waved her hand. “You zoning out is your business. Us looking for someone is our business. Don’t apologize. You’re just doing your own thing.”

“Okay.” Qiu Shui smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. She raised her gaze and looked up along the longevity chains until they disappeared into the clouds before withdrawing her eyes. “You want to go up from here to find Xiao Xian? That’s very hard to do.”

Tan Que asked, “Why’s that?”

Shang Shan poked her shoulder. “Because only those who are sincere can go up. We’re not. I just climbed up a little bit earlier, and then I couldn’t move. It felt like someone up there was pressing down on my head.”

They were all outsiders who hadn’t lived in Pot City under the protection of the gods and immortals. How could they possibly be sincere toward a local folk god in a place they had just arrived at? Tan Que frowned in thought and said seriously, “Then what if I shout up to the heavens? ‘Gods and immortals above and below, I believe in the heroic and martial Xiao Xian!’ Would that work?”

Shang Shan said, “Just saying it with your mouth doesn’t count as sincerity.”

Tan Que asked doubtfully, “Then how does the immortal know if I’m sincere or faking it?”

Hearing this, Shang Shan widened her eyes slightly and froze for a moment.

Right. Even if you cut open the chest cavity, all you’d see was the same old heart. So how did immortals tell if a believer was truly devoted to them?

Before her mind overloaded, Qiu Shui spoke up. “No need to go to such trouble. Actually, you just need to find the Demon-Exorcising Little Immortal.”

Shang Shan jolted back to her senses. Right. The stele inscription said that if one could climb along the longevity chains to the Heavenly Palace, they could become a little immortal serving at the Pot God’s side. That proved those little immortals could contact the Pot God!

And yesterday, while catching demons on the main street, they had run into one. So they didn’t need to go up first. They just needed to find that little immortal again, have him pass a message to the Pot God to recommend them. Wouldn’t that work?

Once she got around that idea, everything became clear in Shang Shan’s mind. “Got it! You’re so smart. Thank you!”

Qiu Shui said, “No need. But if you want to find them, you might have to wait. They only show up when demons cause trouble in the city. Normally, it’s hard to see them.”

It turned out they had come at such a perfect time, running into one on their first day in Pot City. But they hadn’t thought to ask for his help back then. Shang Shan furrowed her brows into an inverted V and scratched her head. “What a shame. We saw him on the street yesterday and even helped him catch a demon.”

Qiu Shui seemed shocked. She looked them over again and asked uncertainly, “You were the ones who saved people on the street that day?”

Shang Shan said, “A little demon was about to crash into someone, so we just caught that little demon.”

Qiu Shui’s face lit up with admiration. “So it was you. So young, already cultivators, and so brave. That’s great.”

Tan Que chuckled and held up the big green frog in her hand. “Nah, I’m just a mortal. But my Lingdang Princess isn’t an ordinary frog!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Shang Shan asked again, “How often do demons show up?”

Since they could only find the Demon-Exorcising Little Immortal when demons appeared, she naturally had this question, hoping to catch him next time. However, she clearly didn’t realize how ridiculous her question sounded. Did demons causing harm follow a schedule? Qiu Shui didn’t mind and thought for a moment before saying, “There was one last year.”

Shang Shan said, “Last year? But there was one yesterday.”

Qiu Shui shook her head gently. “The kind of demon I’m talking about brings massive disasters.”

Shang Shan pursed her lips, recalling the clay little demon rolling down the street yesterday. It had been caught easily with no resistance. Forget disaster—even a sturdy person might squash it with one shovel. Qiu Shui continued, her brows furrowing slightly. “The one from last year swallowed at least ten people…”

Her tone carried some reluctance. “If Dingxiang Little Immortal hadn’t arrived in time, many more would have died. Even so, the losses were huge. An entire street district was destroyed, and so many families lost everything overnight. They survived only thanks to aid from the surrounding areas.”

In a town where demons could strike at any time, risking death or total ruin, yet people didn’t want to leave the land their ancestors had lived on for generations—this constant fear was why the citizens so devoutly believed in Xiao Xian’s protection.

Shang Shan, who had been tilting her head and listening intently, straightened up at the mention of Dingxiang. After hearing the rest, she said angrily, “So vicious, even destroying houses. We should wipe out their demon nests! Make the demons build houses for you and do hard labor!”

Qiu Shui sighed softly. “It’s hard. Even the Porcelain Pot Three Venerables couldn’t do it back then. Xiao Xian probably struggles with it too now.”

Shang Shan asked, “Where do the demons come from?”

Qiu Shui said, “From Hell.”

The third layer on the protective talisman was Hell. Shang Shan didn’t believe it in her heart but didn’t say more. After all, it was normal for mortals not to understand the structure of the world. Besides, everyone’s view of the world was different. There was no need to force others to accept her own understanding.

Qiu Shui stopped talking about this fruitless heavy topic and said lightly, “Let’s not talk about that. You should all have the Pot God’s protective talismans, right? Pray to them often, and maybe she’ll come. Otherwise, you can only wait for the little immortal to show up next time.”

Shang Shan pulled out the protective talisman from her bosom. “Okay, thanks, Big Sis Qiu. We’ll figure something out.”

Qiu Shui said, “By the way, are you staying at Playdream Pavilion?”

Shang Shan nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Qiu Shui relaxed a lot. “I thought so. I help out in the back kitchen at Playdream Pavilion. If you don’t mind, could you give me your room number? I can send over some snacks as thanks for helping the people of Pot City.”

“Sure!” Shang Shan smiled and gave the room number, then said, “Thanks in advance then.”

This girl’s words were always full of unreserved enthusiasm, her face brimming with smiles. It made it impossible not to smile back. Qiu Shui seemed like she hadn’t seen someone like this in a long time. She paused for a moment before chuckling softly. “No problem.”

She held the bouquet she had exchanged for and glanced at the sky. “I still have work to finish, so I need to head back. I’ll come find you in your room tonight.”

The two little ones jumped up to say goodbye and watched her leave. Then Shang Shan punched her palm and conspired with Tan Que. “Once we find the little immortal and get to heaven, we have to tell the Pot God that we can’t wait for demons to come out and harm people before dealing with them. No matter if it’s Hell or whatever, we should destroy their nests first. That way, no more worries!”

Tan Que said seriously, “Shan Big Sis makes a good point.”

Shang Shan said, “Right? Like catching rats. If you wait for them to eat the rice before catching one at a time, they’ll come back for more. You have to find the nest to end it for good.”

Tan Que looked at her with admiration. “Shan Big Sis is wise!”

Mu Qian Tan: “…” She had no interest in listening to the little kids praise each other. She quietly retreated behind the stone stele and pulled out a formation book from her storage pouch, flipping to the page she had marked earlier.

The circular ring array spanned most of the page, its twisted and crooked paths exuding evil energy. The paper almost couldn’t contain it. The materials column listed blood, instantly giving the dark array a wet, fishy stench. It was clearly no good thing.

And indeed, it wasn’t. This was the summon evil array, which could call forth evil beings—the exact one needed for the upcoming plot.

She traced her fingertip over the page, following the array once as a review.

Just a couple days ago, Mu Qian Tan had memorized this one and practiced it privately many times. But since she was about to use it, she worried about messing up and reviewed it a few more times. Otherwise, if she confidently drew an ineffective array in front of those two, only to check the book afterward… that would be too embarrassing. She couldn’t stand it.

After ensuring it was foolproof, she put the book away. Her mind turned to the male protagonist. This instance was full of dealings with demons and ghosts, and now there was this summon evil array that perfectly fit the male protagonist’s evil technique cultivation. It was practically tailor-made for him.

That was why replacing him came with so many complications.

Voices came from behind the stele again.

“Since shouting at the protective talisman works, why not just tell Xiao Xian you lost a piece of your soul! Tell her it’s with us, and maybe she’ll come look.”

“No way. This is just our guess. We need to see what Xiao Xian looks like first. Plus, what if it’s not her? Little Baldy is a ghost. Sending a ghost to the immortal who guards this land would harm Little Baldy. So we see Xiao Xian first, then figure out the rest!”

“That makes sense… But are there demons in the city right now? If not, we can’t wait for that little immortal.”

“No problem. I have a way. If there are no demons in the city, we’ll go to the woods to find some. Or we can lure demons out!”

“Wow, you’re so smart! From now on, you’re my boss! But uh, what do we use to lure them?”

“Wait while I ask my master. She definitely knows. Mas—hey, where’d she go?” Shang Shan’s voice came from behind the stele. She walked around it, her voice growing louder. The girl looked around and lit up with joy when she saw her. “There you are! Master, do you know what to use to attract demons?”

Mu Qian Tan said, “You don’t even know that, idiot.”

Shang Shan tugged at her sleeve. “I haven’t learned that yet.”

Mu Qian Tan stepped forward. “Find a clean spot to draw the formation.”

The three left the Living Beings Treasure Platform and headed deeper into the woods, arriving at a flat, sparsely treed patch of dirt. No one passed by, overgrown with weeds, looking somewhat desolate. It was perfect for placing the summon evil array without risking harm to others. Mu Qian Tan took out a dagger and tossed it to the one beside her. “Bleed.”

Shang Shan caught the dagger without asking why and pressed the blade to her arm. Tan Que quickly stopped her. “Wait! Does it need blood? Use mine!”