The glowing river surface, the kowtowing old woman...

An eerie feeling lingered in the pitch-black snowy night.

An Evil Ghost?

No, it should be some kind of spirit about to vanish, seeming repulsive but unable to manifest before people.

At the very least, the old boatman beside him kept craning his neck, only seeing the faint glimmer on the lake surface, completely unaware of the bizarre old woman.

"True... True Man, is it a treasure?"

The old boatman licked his lips, his eyes shining.

Zhang Kui chuckled, "Have you not considered it might be an evil spirit?"

"True Man might not know..."

The old boatman rubbed his hands and sniffed, "We're still in Lai State, and there's a Chongming Temple on the mountain nearby. The abbot Hong Yuan possesses profound mana, protecting this area for decades without any disturbance from evil spirits."

"I see..."

Zhang Kui stroked his chin, deep in thought.

At this moment, the strange small boat and the old woman flickered like a disrupted signal and soon completely vanished.

The blue light was also gradually fading.

"It's... it's gone!"

The old boatman scratched his head, "I've seen a lot of oddities living off this canal, and often heard tales of treasures underwater; today, it seems, the rumors are true."

Zhang Kui squinted his eyes, "Wait, I'll go down and take a look."

With that, he leapt into the river with a splash.

The old boatman was startled. Wouldn't entering the water in this cold winter month be freezing to death? But on second thought, this Taoist was an alien with powers, so he quickly ordered the crew to stop and wait.

Zhang Kui submerged, immediately using the Forbidden Water Skill to dive towards the bottom. He wasn't looking for treasure, but rather suspected an evil spirit was causing trouble.

The river was pitch-black, but using the Cave Abyss Skill, he could see everything clearly.

This canal existed since the Great Zhou era, ancient and almost over two hundred meters deep.

The riverbed was strewn with rubble and dead branches, some buried in silt, some wrapped in algae, and several fish huddled for warmth at the bottom.

At first glance, where was the treasure?

But Zhang Kui keenly sensed a room-sized boulder overgrown with aquatic plants, faintly exuding Yin Qi.

Upon closer inspection, it was actually a giant clam.

Could it be from the Demon Race?

But why was there no demon aura?

Zhang Kui became intrigued, stepped forward, inserted his hands into the crevice, gritted his teeth, and pried it open.

Having raised his Guiding Skill to level seven, alongside learning the Great Strength Skill, his brute force rivaled demons, and the giant clam creaked open at once.

However, upon opening it, Zhang Kui was stunned.

Inside the giant clam lay a female corpse, dressed in ordinary peasant clothing, her skin as smooth as cream, her appearance gentle and charming.

If not for the Demon-Subduing Pestle lodged in her forehead and her body full of deathly aura, one might almost think she was still alive.

The blue light emanated from the woman's throat, a dazzling brilliance casting a ghostly blue over the surrounding water.

This wasn't a human corpse, but a demon corpse!

Zhang Kui frowned slightly, feeling something amiss.

This... must be the Clam Girl...

Who killed her?

And what was with that river spirit old woman?

Zhang Kui stepped forward, pulling out the Demon-Subduing Pestle from the Clam Girl's forehead, and immediately, a surge of resentment shot skyward.

The Clam Girl's corpse suddenly opened her dead white eyes, her mouth beginning to grow hideous fangs, her body twitching rapidly.

Demon corpse transformation?

Zhang Kui's expression slightly changed, his large hand wrapped with Geng Metal Evil Qi, as he immediately crushed her head.

A luminous, table tennis ball-sized pearl slowly floated up, while the Clam Girl's corpse visibly whitened and rotted at a rapid pace.

Zhang Kui snatched up the pearl. It exuded a vibrant aura, with spirit light swirling around, seemingly purifying the surrounding water; it was indeed a treasure pearl.

The demon corpse's resistance to decay likely had something to do with this pearl.

But what had transpired here?

Zhang Kui was perplexed. He stored the pearl in his personal space and was about to leave, but after a thought, he also took the bronze Demon-Subduing Pestle.

On the water's surface, the old boatman was looking out from the bow. With a splash, Zhang Kui emerged from the water, steam swirling around his body, drying instantly as he landed on the deck.

"True Man, below..."

"Nothing was found, set sail."

Zhang Kui was reluctant to say more and turned to enter the cabin.

The old boatman pulled his head back and quickly ordered the crew to start moving.

Returning to the cabin, Fatty Tiger was still snoring soundly. Zhang Kui shook his head, lay on the small bunk, and closed his eyes to meditate.

The recent events are rather intriguing, but he is too lazy to ponder them further, not wanting to add to his troubles.

The boat sailed through the night, and by dawn, the snow had stopped.

A city appeared ahead along the riverbank, built against the hills beside the pier. Various shops and residential houses lined up in an orderly manner, with layers of snow accumulating and shimmering like golden scales under the winter sunlight.

At this time, many boats, large and small, were already on the riverbank, either docking or setting sail, creating a bustling scene.

Zhang Kui stretched as he walked out of the cabin,

"Old man, what city is this up ahead?"

The old boatman beside him replied, "True Man, up ahead is Changyun City, the most prosperous in Lai State. Goods from the Central Plains destined for the Capital City often pass through here. It's one of the largest cities in the nearby states."

"Oh..."

Zhang Kui perked up with interest, "Is there any local delicacy here?"

This was a habit from his previous life; whenever he arrived somewhere, he wouldn't ask about the scenery or culture, but first sought out what was good to eat.

The old boatman bent over with a smile, "There are plenty. Chestnut cake, Laomiao tea, millet fried cake... In this cold weather, the one thing you mustn't miss is the deer meat soup."

Zhang Kui couldn't help but swallow,

"You old man, you make it sound so tempting. Hurry up and dock, I must try it."

"Alright..."

The old boatman nodded and quickly ordered the boat to dock.

Zhang Kui was about to leave when Fatty Tiger yawned and climbed out, "Daoist, are we there yet?"

The old boatman was instantly frightened,

"It can talk, demon... demon..."

Zhang Kui slapped his forehead, how could he have forgotten this fool?

"Don't be afraid!"

Zhang Kui said to everyone on the boat, "As a Daoist, it's quite normal to have a demon tiger with me..."

The faces of everyone turned pale,

That's not normal at all, seriously.

However, seeing Fatty Tiger poking its head around, yawning non-stop with no intention to harm, they felt somewhat reassured.

Zhang Kui was a bit troubled; if he left Fatty Tiger, it'd surely cause chaos if discovered. Taking it ashore might provoke panic.

What to do?

Forget it, Zhang Kui shook his head, better to bring it along.

Later he had to go to the even more bustling Capital City; avoiding crowds forever wasn't feasible.

Thinking so, Zhang Kui led Fatty Tiger off the boat.

The dock was already bustling with workers unloading goods, vendors peddling wares, and patrolling city guards.

When they saw a tall and fierce Daoist disembark with a mighty striped tiger following, the entire dock fell silent.

Zhang Kui, feeling helpless, clasped his hands and said loudly:

"Fellow citizens, don't be afraid. This is just my mount, an ordinary tiger that won't harm anyone."

Fatty Tiger, seeing so many people staring, nodded in agreement, "That's right, since following the Daoist, I haven't eaten a single person!"

A woman covered her face and screamed,

"Ah—demon!"

Suddenly, chaos erupted at the dock, with citizens and vendors fleeing for their lives, overturning carts and sending baskets, goods, and vegetables flying everywhere.

"You damned blabbermouth!"

Zhang Kui, furious, punched Fatty Tiger to the ground.

Fatty Tiger's head smashed into the bluestone pavement, leaving cracks, and looked up with an aggrieved face, "Daoist, I didn't do anything."

"You...you idiot!"

Zhang Kui fumed.

Fatty Tiger quickly shook his head in rebuttal,

"Daoist, I told you, I'm very clever."

"Still talking back!"

Zhang Kui said, rolling up his sleeves.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came from afar, and a mass of city guards and personnel from the Astronomical Bureau surrounded them, rows of rune crossbows aimed at him and Fatty Tiger.

A tall woman wearing a small black hat of the Astronomical Bureau stepped forward. Her face was alluringly beautiful, but her expression was stern and cold.

"What kind of demon dares to let demons into the city?"

Fatty Tiger licked its lips and growled excitedly, "Daoist, are we going to fight? I can handle these easily."

"Fight my ass!"

Zhang Kui punched again, then tossed out an object.

The woman caught it and her expression changed dramatically, "Changyun City Astronomical Bureau pays respects to the National Guardian True Man!"

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