Chapter 58 The Taoist Priest Stirring Trouble in the Shadows

The Taoist priest stared at the dozen or so blurred black dots in the water basin, feeling as though his head was about to split apart.

He had not yet properly carried out the True Lord’s instructions, so how was it that the three most formidable-looking ones had inexplicably vanished?

Beside him, the young acolyte’s eyes flashed with a look of resolute determination as he stepped forward and said, "Master, since the True Lord has chosen us, the two of us must follow him heart and soul!"

How could the Taoist not understand this logic?

Yet his heart shrank with fear. After all, in the past, he had merely relied on a glib tongue to fool ignorant villagers who had never seen the world. Now, he was actually expected to fool the Prince of Anqing! How could he not be afraid?

Even though the manifesting True Lord had bestowed a magical treasure upon them... well, the treasure was powerful, but he was just a fraudulent Taoist charlatan!

"Of course your master understands," the Taoist sighed deeply, "but the two of us are hardly cut out for momentous tasks!"

Sometimes, he truly wanted to ask the True Lord if entrusting this matter to the two of them meant that even the True Lord hadn't taken it very seriously...

However, such thoughts could obviously only be kept in mind. If he actually dared to ask—just thinking of the True Lord’s ability to summon ghosts and command demons made the Taoist's heart tremble violently.

Forget it, forget it. Offending a prince at worst meant losing one's head. But if one displeased the True Lord, there would likely be no peace even after death.

After repeating to himself the very words he had uttered before, the Taoist summoned the acolyte and whispered, "Disciple, in order to fulfill the True Lord's commission, I believe we should pull out all the stops tonight. However, I wish to confer with you on how to push the might of that magical treasure to its absolute limit!"

The acolyte immediately caught his meaning and replied, "Master, why overthink it? Just scatter all those nether entities into the North City in one go! The aristocratic and powerful clans of Qingzhou mostly have their roots right there."

That was precisely what the Taoist had been thinking, yet he still hesitated. "The True Lord said it would be best for us to let them bloom everywhere, because those nether entities will discern their own targets. Wouldn't it be unwise to release them all into the North City at once?"

The acolyte explained, "Just think about it, Master. People in other parts of the city are either of humble status or mere commoners. The nether entities the True Lord has assigned to us are limited. If we send them to those places, it would be like throwing a clay ox into the sea—not a single ripple would be raised, and the effect would be negligible. But if we unleash them right before the aristocratic clans, it is bound to reach the Prince's ears no matter what!"

"Besides, all the True Lord requires of us is to gain the Prince's trust and persuade him. As for how it is accomplished, the True Lord does not concern himself with the details. In my opinion," the acolyte shifted his tone, "when the Prince witnessed the power of that magical treasure that day, he actually already believed."

The Taoist looked startled upon hearing this. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, Master!" the acolyte said with a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Have you forgotten how the Prince looked when he encountered ghosts in broad daylight? With such miraculous means, who could witness it and not be convinced?"

"Yet... since he believes, why has he consistently refused to obey?" The Taoist still harbored doubts.

The acolyte grew even more helpless, thinking to himself: Isn't it because you yourself showed cowardice, Master? Otherwise, why would the Prince not listen?

To this day, he clearly remembered that when his master had driven the magical treasure to let the Prince glimpse its terrifying might, the look on the Prince's face was not ordinary fear, but a greed so deep-seated it almost overflowed from his eyes!

Who would not be greedy for the mandate of heaven, assisted by an exalted person, and the prospect of a great enterprise?

Furthermore, the Prince was an orthodox member of the imperial clan endowed with the bloodline of the Son of Heaven!

At that moment, the acolyte was even convinced that if his master had adopted a slightly firmer demeanor back then, even if the Prince did not instantly comply, he would certainly have placed immense weight upon them.

It was simply a pity...

The acolyte could not help but glance at his own master, who held a magical treasure yet remained timid and hesitant at every turn.

He truly could not fathom why the True Lord had entrusted such a great responsibility to his master...

Though he himself had never expected that a master who usually spoke with such eloquence before countless commoners would instantly turn into a spineless jellyfish the moment a truly crucial moment arrived.

Still, it mattered not. High and mighty though the Prince might be, before the magical treasure bestowed by the True Lord, he was ultimately a mortal being. As long as this matter proved to be real, the Prince would at most hesitate rather than do anything to them.

Besides, if the Prince truly had no such intentions, why bother inviting the master and disciple into this courtyard in the middle of the lake? And why bother coming to pay his respects day after day amidst his busy schedule?

Under the acolyte's persuasion, the Taoist finally made up his mind.

"Fine! I have wasted half a life, and now my fortune has finally turned. I must not cower now!"

"Disciple, let's do it!"

"Well said, Master!"

The acolyte was overjoyed. As long as his master could show some backbone, with the two of them backed by the True Lord, how could they fail to achieve soaring success? Perhaps they might even truly get a chance to attain longevity and eternal vision!

As night fell, the Taoist began to chant incantations toward the water basin in his hands. The dozen or so black dots upon the basin swirled and swam accordingly.

Gradually, the scene reflected in the water basin ceased to be the ridge of the courtyard's roof, transforming instead into the North City of Qingzhou—the very foundation where the noble clans of Qingzhou established themselves!

When the spellcasting concluded, the Taoist felt completely drained of strength, his complexion as pale as paper. He thought to himself that this treasure bestowed by the True Lord was indeed immensely powerful; even with the chants, it was no easy feat to control. Hurriedly putting away the water basin, he called his disciple to support him to a chair so he could catch his breath.

"Hah... hah... This—this magical artifact of the True Lord's is truly formidable indeed..." He panted heavily, his face the color of parchment, yet he still struggled to give instructions. "Quickly... quickly go tell the soldiers outside to brew a bowl of ginseng soup for your master to restore my vitality."

Speaking of this, even though the Taoist could barely catch his breath, his turbid eyes suddenly lit up, revealing a glint of greed and longing as he said, "I have heard... that the medicinal ingredients in the mansions of these nobles are rare treasures that the outside world simply cannot hope to lay eyes on!"

"Hehe, I never imagined that a person like me could have such a blessing!"

The acolyte hurried out and gave instructions to the armored warriors who had never left the doorway. Immediately, one of them respectfully departed.

Before long, a bowl of steaming ginseng soup was delivered into the lake-center courtyard.

It was evident that even though the Taoist had played the coward that day, the Prince of Anqing still held him in high regard and treated him with utmost courtesy.

-----------------

As the Taoist finished performing his sorcery, several pitch-black shadows slowly flew past the towering city walls of Qingzhou in the dead of night.

Against such scenery, even the sharpest-eyed archers in the army would have found it utterly impossible to distinguish these bizarre objects amidst the boundless night.

It was only when they slowly descended onto the main avenue in the North City of Qingzhou that they finally became visible under the illumination of the lanterns from the surrounding high-walled mansions.

Yet the Taoist, who was blissfully sipping his ginseng soup in the chair, failed to notice that out of the dozen or so shadows in his water basin, four or five had inexplicably flown toward the outside of the city on their own, defying his command.

Consequently, the dozen or so nether entities—which for unknown reasons had already been short by three—now had only eight remaining in the North City.

As a cold wind swept past, those nether entities, which had originally clustered together in a daze, suddenly grew clear-headed and regained their sentience.

Only, deep within their spiritual platforms, things remained hazy and blurred, leaving them unable to remember their own names or origins.

Yet, compared to such trivial details, these nether entities felt an overwhelming hunger gnawing at their bellies and an intense thirst parching their mouths.