The room was as tranquil as a pond, the oil lamp flickering with a dim halo, casting shadows around.

At this moment, the waist token emitted a faint glow, and a light curtain visible only to Qin An slowly unfolded in front of him, shrouded in mystery.

The method of accepting mountain patrol tasks was similar to that of the Lingzhou Mountain Patrol Officer, which required only holding the waist token to operate.

Qin An stroked his chin and carefully sifted through the light curtain.

Now that his achievements and demon pill were lost, he must undertake tasks.

Otherwise, even if he enhanced his profession level, he would lack the resources needed for progression.

However, during the selection, Qin An deliberately sought out tasks near Xunyang Prefecture.

Firstly, to save time on round trips, and secondly, to avoid the hardships of traveling, for long-distance trips would hinder the advancement of his profession proficiency.

The light curtain continuously slid, and suddenly a task leapt into view.

A flash of brilliance flickered in Qin An's eyes, he focused intently for a moment and his lips curled slightly upward.

"This task is indeed novel, having never accepted such a duty before."

After a brief consideration, Qin An raised his hand and tapped, accepting the task.

The light curtain wavered, transforming into task details, floating in mid-air.

[Mission: Proceed to Deserted Village north of Xunyang Prefecture, assist benevolent pseudo-god Yangmingzi in repelling evil pseudo-god invasion]

This task isn't far from Xunyang Prefecture, sparing the toil of travel.

But what intrigued Qin An the most was that this task was to assist a benevolent pseudo-god.

It's known that pseudo-gods are formed by the thoughts of all beings, from birds, beasts, fish, insects, to grass, wood, flowers, and trees; everything can become a pseudo-god.

Pseudo-gods also have a division between good and evil.

Born from good thoughts as good, born from accumulated evil thoughts as evil.

The Evil Extermination Bureau always eradicates demons and devils, never expected to assist a benevolent pseudo-god against evil spirits, truly surprising.

"No matter what, this task is just right, let's accept it first and see."

Qin An briefly pondered, blew out the oil lamp on the table, and lay down on the bed.

"Tomorrow, I need to carry out the task. If the achievements are substantial, I'll return to the Evil Extermination Bureau to train the dancer profession to level eleven, pushing the body technique to the Outer Elixir Realm."

Thoughts gradually faded, Qin An no longer thought much, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

...

The next day, as the first rays of dawn shone through the sky, Qin An slowly awakened.

He first changed into a clean dark robe, then tucked the waist token into his breast, and took out the human skin mask he used in Lingzhou, covering his face, instantly altering his appearance and aura.

After having breakfast at a street stall, Qin An went to the Evil Extermination Bureau to requisition a fast horse, whipped it, and galloped along the official road.

Deserted Village is not far from Xunyang Prefecture, only over two hundred li away.

For the vast Xunyang Prefecture, this distance is considered very close.

But these over two hundred li are not within the Prefecture General's task range. To save the Prefecture General's travel time, it's allocated to the Mountain Patrol General.

At this moment, Deserted Village was harmonious.

Villagers came and went, and cooking smoke faintly rose to the sky.

Qin An tightened the reins, stood outside the village, and looked at this harmonious little village, his brow slightly furrowing.

This task was only assigned to him, on the way over, he didn't see any colleagues.

This task was relatively simple compared to the surroundings, but even such a simple task was not accepted by anyone. Qin An wondered if there might be something fishy here.

"Since it's accepted, let's enter the village and explore." Qin An thought a bit and decided to stop overthinking, leaped off the horse as his true essence circulated, holding the reins, walked into the village.

In the village, villagers busied themselves with their own affairs.

Qin An's appearance was like a pebble thrown into the water surface, immediately attracting the attention of many villagers.

A middle-aged man carrying a hoe hesitated for a moment, paused slightly, and came forward, cautiously looking at Qin An.

"What brings this lord to Deserted Village?"

Qin An tied the horse to a tree and said calmly, "Is Yangmingzi in the village?"

Being a benevolent pseudo-god, villagers all know his identity. Since Qin An came to help against the evil pseudo-god, he didn't conceal it.

The middle-aged villager was slightly stunned, and after realizing, looked at Qin An with some fear, tremblingly saying, "Is the lord here to solve the calamity of Dao Ye?"

Qin An raised his brows slightly, asking, "Dao Ye? Why call him Dao Ye?"

The villager quickly explained, "Dao Ye was originally the statue in the mountain Taoist temple, long worshipped by the old Taoist and villagers, became a divine entity. Three years ago, the old Taoist ascended, Dao Ye took over as the temple master, safeguarding Deserted Village with favorable weather."

While saying this, a hint of respect appeared in the middle-aged villager's eyes.

It's from the heart, an observant person could easily see.

Qin An understood the relationship and mused, "I see, no wonder he's called Yangmingzi, where is the Taoist temple located?"

The villager hesitated slightly, contemplating whether to inform Qin An.

Seeing this, Qin An's eyes glinted fiercely, "I am from the Evil Extermination Bureau, sent by official orders, to assist him, speak without worries."

The villager then set aside his hesitant expression, pointed towards a distant mountain, "Dao Ye is on the mountain, walk along the mountain path for about five hundred steps, you'll see a platform where the temple is situated."

Qin An nodded slightly, tossed some silver coins into the middle-aged villager's hand, "Take good care of the horse for me, I will need it when I return."

Before the villager could react, in his shocked gaze, Qin An displayed the Dragon Roar Wind Shadow Step, his figure vanished like a ghost at the village entrance.

...

Among the mountain paths, the thin mist lingered, though it was daytime, it bore a certain mystery.

At this moment, in an old Taoist temple halfway up the mountain, a pseudo-god dressed in a Taoist robe but covered in dirt sat cross-legged on a mat, holding a Taoist scroll, meticulously chanting.

Though the pseudo-god's features were blurry, one could faintly see a trace of sorrow, even stumbling over the chanting of the Taoist scripture.

Beside the Taoist scripture, there was a Buddhist sutra.

The surface of the Buddhist sutra was pressed with a strand of Buddha beads.

The Buddha beads lacked the solemn feeling of flickering Buddha light, instead exuding a layer of eerie aura.

Yang Mingzi raised his hand to put down the Taoist scripture, unable to suppress the vexation in his heart, and picked up the Buddha beads nearby to scrutinize them.

As soon as he picked up the Buddha beads, the dark aura on them seemed to want to engulf him, surging towards him.

A surge of True Essence emerged from Yang Mingzi's body, repelling all the dark aura.

"Time waits for no one, the calamity is imminent, what will become of Deserted Village then?"

"My teacher molded me into form with his thoughts, yet I am powerless to protect the villagers. How can I face my benefactor in the netherworld?"

Yang Mingzi murmured to himself, the sorrow in his eyes deepening.

At this moment, a slight movement leisurely drifted in.

Yang Mingzi was slightly taken aback, the pseudo-god aura around him suddenly halted, as he looked behind him in astonishment.

The Taoist temple gate had somehow already opened, and a mysterious youth in dark clothing stepped in with a straight blade in hand.

The youth's brows and eyes held a hint of indifference, with a barely perceptible murderous aura surrounding him, making one feel as if plunged into an ice cellar.

Unless carefully sensed, one would certainly overlook him, merely regarding him as an ordinary youth.

Yang Mingzi's gaze fell on the waist badge, instantly showing delight, and he hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "This humble one greets the Lord of the Evil Extermination Bureau. May I know how to address you?"

Qin An gave his name, carefully observing Yang Mingzi, his eyes falling on the string of Buddha beads: "What is the origin of this object?"

He had been observing from outside the door for a long time.

This pseudo-god, although possessing Outer Elixir Realm strength, seemed lackluster in combat capability, having not even noticed his presence at the doorway.

However, the string of Buddha beads in Yang Mingzi's hand piqued Qin An's interest.

The Buddha beads retained a pitch-black evil Qi, with a hint of bloodthirstiness.

Yang Mingzi replied bitterly, "This is precisely why this humble one seeks the help of the Evil Extermination Bureau. Please step into the inner courtyard so I may explain in detail."

Qin An nodded slightly, gesturing with his hand: "Please."

Though his temperament was indifferent, he adhered to his own principles in handling matters.

Pseudo-gods like these, who shielded their areas, were akin to humans, deserving respect even more than some pretentious cultivators.

Yang Mingzi said no more, having never encountered such a courteous Lord of the Evil Extermination Bureau before, feeling slightly reassured, and quickly turned to lead the way forward.

The two bypassed a passageway and arrived at a room in the backyard.

Yang Mingzi extended his clay-sculpted hand and lit the oil lamp in the room.

As the oil lamp lit up, Qin An scanned the room with the faint lamp light, his brows slightly furrowed.

By the oil lamp's illumination, there was a square table, upon which sat two clay sculptures.

One was a Taoist sculpture, and the other a Buddhist sculpture.

Both were neatly arranged, but emanated different auras.

The Taoist sculpture's face was amiable, exuding an aura of serene transcendence.

The Buddhist sculpture, however, had a fierce face, resembling a wrathful Vajra.

"What are these?" Qin An asked.

Yang Mingzi poured a cup of tea, pushing it towards Qin An, sighing: "This matter is a long story. Does the Lord know the origins of this Taoist temple?"

Qin An nodded, "I have a slight understanding from the villagers, but not in detail. If you are willing to speak, I'll listen."

Yang Mingzi paused slightly, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes, "Since the Lord already knows about the Taoist temple's origins, this humble one shall recount an event that occurred subsequently."

Qin An gestured with his hand: "Please speak."

Yang Mingzi paused for a moment and narrated slowly, "Five years ago, a wandering monk sought shelter here. He would offer his Buddha statue daily and debate doctrines with my mentor."

"My mentor, being compassionate, allowed him to stay temporarily in the temple. Unbeknownst to him, the monk and my mentor frequently quarreled, and the monk eventually left, vowing to delve deeply into Buddhist Dharma and return for further debates."

Yang Mingzi tried to keep it simple, as he didn't want to waste time.

Qin An grasped the gist of it but said nothing, patiently waiting for the continuation.

Yang Mingzi paused briefly before continuing, "On his journey back, the monk was killed by mountain bandits. Though our philosophies differed, my mentor respected his devotion to Buddhism, ensuring his burial and leaving the statue in the temple for offering."

"My mentor would recite both Taoist scriptures and Buddhist texts daily, cherishing the memory of the deceased, but under the intertwining Taoist and Buddhist Dharma, both sculptures turned into pseudo-gods."

At this point, Yang Mingzi clenched his fists, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, his serene aura disappearing completely, his anger akin to a volcano about to erupt.

Qin An lightly tapped on his blade's sheath, "Calm down."

From the previous narration, Qin An understood.

This Yang Mingzi must be one of the sculptures brought to life, and the pseudo-god Qin An needed to deal with was likely the other Buddha sculpture.

The words "calm down" were like a spring stream pouring down, waking Yang Mingzi abruptly, he restrained his anger and continued.

"The pseudo-god formed from the Buddha statue is an evil being. He secretly harmed my mentor, attempting to seize the temple and annihilate all the villagers of Deserted Village."

"Upon discovering his plot, I battled him for three days and nights, and at last, he was defeated and fled elsewhere."

"Unexpectedly, he suddenly reappeared over these days, his strength soaring to Great Success in the Outer Elixir Realm. I am no longer his match. Fortunately, my mentor left a dust whisk compatible with me, allowing me to barely resist."

"But it's akin to cutting flesh with a blunt knife. He knows my situation and offered me two choices: either help him slaughter the villagers of Deserted Village or let him consume me, assuring he won't harm the villagers, but how could I trust him?"

Qin An nodded slightly, interrupting, "So, my task is to assassinate this Buddha statue pseudo-god?"

If what Yang Mingzi said was true, Qin An thought it would be manageable.

By standing guard in this Taoist temple, awaiting the Buddha statue pseudo-god to appear, he could simply strike it down with one blow.

Being merely Great Success in the Outer Elixir Realm, he wouldn't need to use the Secret Technique of Three Blades Unite; a single blade would suffice.

Yet after saying this, Yang Mingzi's eyes flashed with a complicated expression.

Qin An, keenly catching this subtle anomaly, slightly raised his brows, "You have yet more concealed matters."

Yang Mingzi gritted his teeth, suddenly prostrated on the ground, kowtowing to Qin An repeatedly, the clattering of his clay body echoing.

"Please, my lord, advocate for me, advocate for the people of Deserted Village!"

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