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Li Qingshan slowly put down the book in his hand, noting that it was getting late, bid farewell to the drunken Scholar, and returned to his own room.
Only when night fell did he quietly take out the Conch Headphones hidden under the bed and put them on his ears.
His current identity was akin to a spy gathering intelligence. If he died, it wouldn’t matter, but the Conch Headphones were absolutely indispensable, which is why he didn’t dare to carry them directly on his person.
He tapped on the headphones with a "thud thud thud," sending out a series of regular signals.
After a while, a response ca from the other end.
"How is it?" Lu Tianming asked, "How did the investigation go today? Any new findings?"
Li Qingshan said, "Today, I reviewed the archives in town, and the situation is not good... The locals attribute the decline in population to the diminished manifestation of the Womb of the Earth Bodhisattva’s divine power, and its macro impact, but in truth, this is not the case."
"I believe that so form of Evil power is subtly infiltrating and leading to the population decline." Li Qingshan briefly described the content he had seen that day, "This Evil power is very covert, and coupled with the locals’ high tolerance for Evil, it has led to the current situation."
"Hmm, the findings of my investigation align with yours," Lu said pensively, "Many wealthy families have noticed the changes in their environnt and have a strong desire to move. Like Ding Zhijing’s family, they have already moved to Qingshi Town."
"Ding Zhijing had long thrown his lot in with us. Doesn’t that tell us anything?"
"Ding Zhijing is only a branch of the family; their main family, a large clan with over a hundred mbers, which has produced successful candidates in the imperial examinations and held high official ranks, now also contemplates relocating."
"Most of their property is here in Fenghua City, and they are willing to forsake it to move. This could only happen if their lives were threatened. So, don’t underestimate the locals; I speculate that many of them with high ’Spiritual Strength’ have developed so form of premonition delving into their ’Sixth Sense,’ which prompts them to make this decision."
"Were you able to learn the reason?"
Lu Tianming’s voice lowered, "The issue seems to be with that ’naless enchantress.’ The locals are not fools; they can discern oddities through various clues. The ’naless enchantress,’ who was initially a minor deity from elsewhere, gained followers quickly through a special ’Talismanic Water’ thought to cure diseases, which in recent years has seen its number of worshippers skyrocket, rivaling the Turtle Spirit Great Mother."
"Ding Zhijing suspected that the ’Talismanic Water’ might have an illegitimate source but lacked solid evidence. Moreover, the court has already officially recognized it as a True God, aning the local gentry cannot easily contest it."
"There are others who believe that with the Turtle Spirit Great Mother as their protector, Fenghua City will remain safe. They are unwilling to abandon their wealth and leave outright."
The two discussed for a while and agreed that "To save one person by killing another" was inherently Evil and that on Earth, there was almost no need for debate.
But in this topsy-turvy world, most people felt that misfortune would not befall them.
Lu Tianming then enthusiastically updated Li Qingshan on various occurrences in Qingshi Town.
The ergence of the "Heavenly Gate" and the "Six Paths of Reincarnation" left Li Qingshan feeling enthralled; he had only left for a few days, and such significant events had already happened!
Old Lu chuckled and said, "How about that guy in the prison? Can you take care of him? The rewards for these guys are quite generous; a few hundred to a thousand ’points.’ Currently, several S-class and A-class Investigators are eager to capture the Evil God."
Li Qingshan imdiately dismissed this option, "I’ve inquired these past few days, and in the prison here, there’s not just one ’Prison God’ that supposedly tornts and kills inmates until death. Other cities’ prisons have this supposed ’Prison God’ too."
"It’s either that they are a species with many similar creatures, or they are rely thousands of Avatars of the sa existence."
If it’s the forr, that’s still manageable as their power level is limited, and there’s a possibility of capturing them alive.
If it’s the latter, and one entity "manifests as thousands," it is not sothing humans can easily provoke.
After hearing this, Lu Tianming could only temporarily give up; their current investigative focus should still be on the ’naless enchantress.’ It wasn’t worth the trouble to complicate matters further.
As their discussion continued, Li Qingshan felt an increasing complexity in his heart and an urgent sense rising within him.
He finally decided he didn’t want to see the city suffer any longer and resolved, "Either way, tonight, let personally scout things out. Let’s see what’s the deal with that naless enchantress?"
After all, even if he died, he could be resurrected.
"That works, take the ’bomb’ with you... be careful not to expose your identity... the ’Please Hui Dao Apprentice’ identity is still useful."
"Understood."
After they finished exchanging information, Li Qingshan carefully hid the headphones, took off his Taoist robe, and put on black clothes.
He then took several black balls the size of thumbs out of his baggage, filled his pockets, and put one in his mouth.
This was the "at Mountain Bomb," a device that would cause a trendous explosion with a gentle bite, turning himself into a mass of minced at.
At that point, no one would be able to identify his remains.
Li Qingshan, with a light step, vaulted over the wall.
The moon shone dimly, the night serene as water. The air seed pregnant with sothing brewing.
Fenghua City at midnight was eerily quiet, even beggars on the streets shrank into ramshackle houses, not daring to sleep outdoors.
Local lore spoke of the "Cat-faced Old Woman," who would devour the face of anyone sleeping on the streets; there were also tales of fox spirits, disguising as humans and absorbing n’s vitality at night.
Of course, whether these tales were true or not remained unknown.
In a world where deities truly exist, even if known to be rumors, no one would test their luck by risking their life.
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