Shi Qingxuan asked, "Did it sneak in after we left Puqi Monastery and tamper with the formation?"

Then he overturned it himself: "No! It won't be like that."

Xie Lian also said, "Impossible. We just pushed the door open and exited. Even if it slipped in and tampered with something after that, we should have arrived at our original location. Because the formation has already been activated, any changes would be ineffective. Therefore, the time it had to act was only a split second."

That was the brief moment when Mingyi finished drawing the formation and Shi Qingxuan blew out the candles, and the entire Puqi Temple fell into darkness!

However, this contradicted what Xie Lian had just said. Shi Qingxuan said, "But just now, there were clearly only four of us in the room."

In a small temple like Puqi, with three priests and a ghost king, how could they not know if something happened? And if one of them took advantage of the darkness to do something, who would it be most likely?

Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but glance at Huacheng. Although he immediately stopped, Huacheng didn't miss the glance. He smiled and said, "Why are you looking at me? I mean, don't you think Master Earth Master is more suspicious?"

Mingyi glanced at him. Huacheng said, "Don't just speculate about who tampered with the formation later. What if the formation he drew was wrong in the first place?"

Ming Yi didn't object or express anything. Shi Qingxuan, however, couldn't bear to hear any more. He said, "City Master Hua, wait a moment. I know you two had a feud before, but Brother Ming really isn't that kind of person. He was just a last-minute helper this time, and there's no reason for him to do this."

Hua Chengdao: "You don't necessarily need a reason to do something. In fact, Master Feng, you yourself are also very suspicious."

"Huh?" Shi Qingxuan had never expected that this would work. He pointed at himself, "Who? Me?!"

Hua Cheng said, "Hmm. It's not uncommon for a thief to cry thief. Why exactly have you come here? If you and your respected brother were truly so afraid of the True Immortal Baihua, why would you have assembled such a pile of rags? It's not impossible that you two colluded to set up a trap and lure us here."

One could tell from his expression that he was just speaking nonsense without restraint, yet he managed to sound convincing, making it seem as if everyone was worthy of suspicion. Shi Qingxuan was almost shaken and said, "Am I... am I that boring?"

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Same reason. I'm not that boring either."

He would hit them back with the same blow they used. Xie Lian was lost in thought when he waved his hand, saying, "Alright, all of you, stop now. You're already doubting your own people before the matter is even resolved."

Hua Cheng laughed heartily and said nothing more. His attitude was clear: he wasn't going to help, nor cause trouble, he was simply here to have fun. No need to rely on him too much, nor to be wary of him. After a moment's hesitation, Xie Lian said, "Actually, there's another possibility. While the geomancer inside was drawing the formation, someone outside had already drawn an even more powerful one on the door."

At that time, Shi Qingxuan cast an isolation spell to prevent Qi Rong, who was outside, from overhearing their conversation. Puqi Monastery was sealed off. Relatively speaking, tampering outside the temple was less likely to be detected than inside. When two similar formations collide, the stronger one prevails. This "strength" depends not only on the level of the person setting up the formation, but also on the materials used. Mingyi used aged cinnabar, discarded by fellow scavengers and scavenged by Xie Lian while collecting scrap. If someone had used fresh blood to "stabilize the formation," it would naturally be even more effective.

Shi Qingxuan immediately accepted this possibility and said, "Outside the house? Could it be the Green Ghost? He's already in that state, how could he still cause trouble?"

Xie Lian said, “I can’t do that anymore…”

Hua Cheng said calmly, "Don't even think about moving within seven days. But, he's not the only one outside the house."

This statement seemed to have a hidden meaning. Xie Lian said, "In short, let's refrain from making wild guesses, lest we damage each other's trust."

After walking a few steps, he continued, "That monster's words are really strange. Why did it say that this place would become a 'nightmare that Master Fengshi never wants to remember again'? Is there anything we will encounter in this place?"

Looking around, Shi Qingxuan frowned slightly and said, "...Wait a minute. It seems like..."

Before he could finish his words, Mingyi's eyes suddenly darkened, and he launched a palm strike through the air, aiming for the back of Shi Qingxuan's head. Xie Lian shouted, "Master Feng, watch out!"

Mingyi's palm struck with a thud, splitting a large, rectangular object. It fell from the sky, hurtling towards Shi Qingxuan's forehead. He leaped a few feet away, patting his chest and saying, "That was a close call!" He glanced down, his pupils suddenly constricting. Xie Lian, looking up, was also slightly startled. It turned out to be a plaque, with gold lettering on a blue background, inscribed in large letters: "Feng Shui Hall."

Splitting the plaque of a priest's temple in half was a serious taboo. Mingyi withdrew his palm, his face stern. Shi Qingxuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately waved his sleeve, sweeping away the split plaque. He whispered, "Keep it secret, keep it secret! Don't tell anyone. If my brother knew his plaque was smashed, he would be furious!"

Xie Lian turned around and said, “This… is actually a Feng Shui temple?”

Yes, the dilapidated house they came out of was actually a Feng Shui temple.

The Water God is the God of Wealth, and everyone loves money. The temple he presides over has always been a bustling place, so it's unbelievable that it could be in such a dilapidated state. It's like a stack of banknotes left on the street, exposed to the wind, sun, and rain, with no one to pick them up. Shi Qingxuan rushed back into the temple. The place was covered in cobwebs and dust, a desolate and neglected place. After searching for a long time, he finally unearthed two statues in a pile of discarded debris behind the house.

The female statue of the Wind Master was missing arms and legs, while the male statue of the Water Master had its head completely missing. These weren't natural signs of age, but rather had been smashed with a sharp weapon, as if someone had vented their endless resentment upon them. Yet, these two statues were incredibly lifelike, so lifelike, lying in this shabby, smiling state within the dilapidated ancient temple, it was deeply unsettling.

Shi Qingxuan held a statue in each hand, hugged it tightly, and said, "What kind of hatred or grudge is this?"

Although Xie Lian also felt a surge of malevolence from this scene, to calm Shi Qingxuan's mind, he said gently, "Master Feng, calm down. When someone worships, someone else will attack. It's just common sense. Don't worry about it. That thing must have deliberately arranged this for you to see, inciting your fear and drawing its power from you."

Mingyi said succinctly, "Can you do it? If not, leave."

Shi Qingxuan brushed the dust off the faces of the two statues, gritted his teeth, grabbed the Wind Master Fan, and stood up suddenly, saying, "I can do it! I want to see what it has in mind."

The four of them left the dilapidated Feng Shui temple and wandered around the small town. It was peaceful and tranquil, neither bustling nor backward, nothing out of the ordinary. Rather, the most unusual thing about them was them. Thrown among the ordinary people, their appearance, demeanor, and attire stood out too much. So, after a while, they slipped into a side alley and changed their attire.

Xie Lian's original outfit was very plain, so he didn't need to change. The other three changed completely from head to toe. Over there, Shi Qingxuan was commenting on Mingyi's outfit; over here, Huacheng changed into a refreshing black outfit, and his long hair was also neatly tied up, which was rare. He also wore a white jade pendant, which made him look less lazy and more energetic, like a handsome and talented junior brother from a famous and upright family. It's really true that even if the emperor dressed like a beggar, he would not look like a beggar, and he would still be very eye-catching. Looking at him, Xie Lian couldn't help but think of the old saying: "A man who wants to be handsome should wear soap", and thought to himself that it was true. Coming back to his senses, he often looked at Master Feng over there, remembered something, and whispered: "Sanlang, there is something I have always forgotten to ask you."

Hua Cheng straightened his cuffs and asked, "What's the matter?"

Xie Lian clenched his fist, placed it before his mouth, and coughed softly. He asked as casually as possible, "...What's your psychic password?"

If one wishes to communicate with another person at any time, one must first obtain their password. For example, to contact Shi Qingxuan, one must first recite the following four lines of a limerick aloud: "Master Wind Master is a genius," "Master Wind Master is humorous and unrestrained," "Master Wind Master is kind and upright," and "Master Wind Master is only 28 years old." Of course, ordinary priests wouldn't set passwords so awkwardly; it's quite normal.

The high-ranking priests' psychic passwords are not easily shared with others unless they are closely related and of vital importance. As the Ghost King of Despair, Hua Cheng naturally follows this path. While the two have only known each other for a short time, their relationship should be quite good. It's a bit strange that they haven't yet learned each other's passwords. But come to think of it, whenever something happens, they meet directly, so whether they exchange passwords or not seems to be irrelevant.

Xie Lian had never asked for a command from a priest before, because if he needed anything, he could simply shout it out into the spirit communication array. If he needed to speak privately with someone, the array could always communicate with them. This was the first time he'd proactively asked for a command, and with little experience, he was a little worried about being abrupt. Seeing Hua Cheng's eyes flicker but he didn't move, he felt slightly embarrassed and said hurriedly, "Is it inconvenient? It's okay, it's okay. Don't bother me. I was just asking casually. I have something I want to discuss privately later, so I took the liberty of asking. I'll find a way to ask you quietly..."

Hua Cheng interrupted him and said, "It's not inconvenient. I'm very happy."

Xie Lian was startled. “Huh?”

Hua Cheng sighed and said, "I'm so happy that Brother finally asked me. Because you never mentioned it, I thought it was inconvenient and didn't want to exchange passwords with others, so I never took the initiative to talk about it. Now that Brother finally asked, how can I say it was just a 'casual question'?"

Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief, his mood immediately brightening. He shook his hand and said, "So we both share the same concerns! I was wrong just now. That was just a casual remark. I apologize to Sanlang. So, what's your password?"

Hua Cheng's eyes lit up slightly, and he leaned forward slightly and said, "My command, brother, please listen carefully, I will only say it once." After that, he whispered a sentence.

After hearing this, Xie Lian’s eyes widened. He said, “…This? Is this really this? Sanlang, are you sure?”

Hua Cheng remained calm and said, "Yes. That's it. If you don't believe me, how about trying it now, brother?"

Xie Lian didn’t dare try. He said, “Then… wouldn’t that mean every time someone comes to you, they’ll have to repeat this sentence to you three times? That… wouldn’t that be really embarrassing?”

Hua Cheng chuckled, "I deliberately said that because I don't want anyone looking for me. I want them to give up when they see the difficulty. But if it's Brother who wants to look for me, I'm always here to help."

Xie Lian couldn't quite believe it, thinking, "This is too bad..."

He hesitated, trying to activate his spiritual power, but he couldn't pronounce the command. Even reciting it silently didn't work. Seeing Xie Lian covering half his face and turning away, unable to make up his mind, Hua Cheng finally smiled enough and said, "Okay, okay. If you don't dare to say it, I'll come to you. Where's your command?"

Xie Lian turned around and said, “Just recite the Tao Te Ching a thousand times.”

“…”

Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow. A moment later, Xie Lian heard his voice beside him: "'Just recite the Tao Te Ching a thousand times.' Those eleven words, right?"

The two stood face to face, yet remained silent, communicating with their eyes and whispering in a voice no one else could hear. It was quite amusing. Xie Lian also responded with his spiritual power, "That's right. You didn't fall for it."

Hua Cheng blinked and continued, "Hahahaha, I almost got fooled. It was so funny."

Xie Lian also blinked, a smile showing on his face.

You must know, he had carefully thought of this password eight hundred years ago, thinking it was so amusing that he kept using it after ascending. However, many other priests didn't seem amused, and even after being tricked, they were speechless. Mu Qing had bluntly said, "Your Highness, this idea is too cold. Forgive me for not being able to laugh." Feng Xin, though he rolled over on the ground with laughter, had a very low and inexplicable sense of humor. Even though he laughed, Xie Lian felt no sense of accomplishment. Now that Hua Cheng was laughing too, it probably meant it was actually quite amusing.

The original plan was to drink at the most expensive restaurant in the Imperial City, but since they couldn't go there, drinking anywhere would be about the same, so they went to the largest restaurant in town and asked for a private room. They sat there bored for a while, and when the waiter brought the wine, Xie Lian said, "Excuse me, where is this place?"

Although it was a strange question, it was the most direct and effective way. The waiter asked in surprise, "Didn't you come here because of our reputation? This is Bogu Town."

Xie Lian asked, “Admiration? Admiration for what?”

The man gave a thumbs-up and said, "It's our town's community fire! It's very famous around here. Every year at this time, many people from other places want to come and see the wonder."

Shi Qingxuan asked curiously, "What is community fire?"

Xie Lian said, "It's the kind of entertainment folks use to celebrate festivals. There'll be some acrobatics, local operas, and so on. You can check it out." It's a bit like the Lantern Festival parade held by Xianle Kingdom back in the day. But the parade was organized by the royal family and officially controlled, while the community fire was a folk entertainment. Shi Qingxuan said, "But today isn't a festival, is it? At most, it's the Cold Dew Festival tomorrow."

Xie Lian said, “It doesn’t have to be a specific holiday. Sometimes it’s to commemorate someone, choosing a special day to have some fun and have some fun.”

At this moment, a commotion could be heard from the street below the restaurant. Someone shouted, "Get out of the way! Children and women, don't stand in the front! Everyone, step back! The team is coming!"

The four of them looked downstairs. This sight was truly astonishing. Xie Lian's eyes widened. They saw a long parade marching down the street. Everyone in the procession wore bright red makeup, various bizarre costumes, and a sharp weapon protruded from their foreheads.

Those axes, knives, pliers, and scissors, some sharp, some blunt and some rusty, all pierced their skulls deeply, piercing their foreheads. Some even squeezed out their eyeballs, which hung bloodily on their cheeks. Others pierced through their foreheads and exited from the back of their heads, a scene of extreme bloodshed. The marchers, their brows furrowed, expressions of pain, their faces covered in blood, yet they continued to march slowly forward to the sound of wind and drum music, like a procession of ghosts.