Chapter 301: Chapter 265: Little Bully

After resting at the inn for a night, Sang Que changed into men’s clothing the next morning, using a charcoal pen to draw her eyebrows into thick, masculine brows, and with a simple disguise, she went to the backyard carrying a bow and arrow to find a carriage.

Yao Zhen had gotten up early and was bending over near the carriage, observing her ghost talismans, occasionally shaking his head with a look of disdain.

Sang Que walked over and tossed the bow and arrow into the carriage. Yao Zhen stared at her outfit for a while before saying, “It’s drawn really ugly.”

Sang Que: ……

After breakfast, they got on the carriage and went to another Zhang’s Grain Shop in the city, the largest in Pu’an County.

Zhang Junyao’s family originally made their fortune with grains, owning several plots of farmland in Jinzhou, and within Pu’an County, they operated three grain shops.

When the carriage arrived, Sang Que saw Zhang Junyao had changed back to women’s clothing and was pacing back and forth in the shop, getting up quite early.

Sang Que instructed Yao Zhen to stay in the carriage while she went inside to find Zhang Junyao. Her outfit drew Zhang Junyao’s gaze for quite some time, and finally, they went to the back hall to chat for about a quarter of an hour. Sang Que used her Instant Teleportation ability to quietly transfer one hundred pounds of glutinous rice and one hundred pounds of vermillion into Zhang’s family’s warehouse.

If Zhang Junyao could safely sell these glutinous rice and vermillion, Sang Que could then become the mysterious supplier behind Zhang Junyao. As long as Sang Que traded exclusively with Zhang Junyao, the Zhang family wouldn’t be able to underestimate Zhang Junyao and would have to let her get involved in the family’s business.

Later, it depended on Zhang Junyao’s ability to avoid trouble with these items, and Sang Que could hand over more items for Zhang Junyao to sell in exchange for money.

Sang Que didn’t accept the deposit from Zhang Junyao but instead asked her to help buy some chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and black dog puppies. The mountainous terrain of Jinfeng Mountain was not easy to level for cultivation, but it could be used for grazing on a small scale, just making sure everyone could have meat to eat during holidays and festivals.

After discussing various matters, Zhang Junyao took out a scroll and handed it to Sang Que, “This is the complete map of Xuan Dynasty I found in my brother’s study, drawn by him personally. I’ll send the items you’ve asked for to the foot of the mountain in about half a month.”

Sang Que accepted the map, as she indeed needed it.

Escorting Sang Que to the door, Zhang Junyao asked, “What should I do if I want to find you? Should I breed some carrier pigeons next time and send them together to you?”

With a coquettish demeanor, Zhang Junyao’s attitude, combined with Sang Que’s thick-browed, large-eyed male disguise, left the shopkeeper and clerks in the grain shop looking surprised.

Little did they know, Zhang Junyao merely wanted to hold tightly onto the golden leg that Sang Que represented.

Sang Que had already considered how to stay connected. After returning, she planned to create a Divine Statue to establish communication, then send a small one to Zhang Junyao.

Zhang Junyao would only need to offer incense and pray to the statue, and Sang Que would surely sense it from Jinfeng Mountain, which is only half a day’s horseback ride from Pu’an County, not far at all.

With Zhang Junyao reluctant to part, Sang Que decisively took her leave, jumping onto the carriage and leaving with a swish of the whip, never looking back once; Zhang Junyao stood at the grain shop’s door, stomping in resentment.

Turning around, she saw everyone in the shop staring at her, and Zhang Junyao angrily barked, “What are you looking at? There’s nothing to see!”

The carriage headed out of the city, and Yao Zhen leaned against the carriage wall, handing back the Dao Bell they used last night to Sang Que.

“Here, I strengthened it last night. This time, I won’t charge you.”

Sang Que glanced at it but didn’t take it, “After entering the Ghost Level, the Dao Bell is no longer of much use to me. With you, a Taoist Disciple, it can be used without being strengthened, so I’m gifting it to you.”

The Dao Bell can dispel illusions and fend off Evil Spirits, but its effectiveness becomes very limited when encountering Ghost Level spells.

Sang Que herself is now at the Ghost Level, unaffected by low-level illusions, while high-level illusions aren’t aided by the Dao Bell.

Most importantly, the Dao Bell is originally a Taoist Magical Artifact that can only exert its greatest force in the hands of a Daoist. In non-Taoist Disciple hands, its power becomes limited and requires pre-strengthening, which is quite troublesome.

Yao Zhen, a bit surprised by this privilege, would usually decline with a ’I refuse to take advantage’, but the high-quality Brass Dao Bell was something she couldn’t refuse.

Yao Zhen felt this time that her master’s predictions were really accurate!

“Alright, if you need to use it in the future, come ask me anytime.”

Yao Zhen happily accepted the Dao Bell, finding Sang Que more pleasing to the eye, feeling that even the ugly makeup wasn’t that unpleasant, adding a sense of rugged beauty.

“By the way, I just remembered, this big load of yours, are you going to a village?”

The carriage passed through the city gate and reached outside; Sang Que glanced at Yao Zhen.

“Not a village, but a bandit hideout.”

Yao Zhen: !!!

Yao Zhen had always thought Sang Que had settled in some remote, uninhabited village in the mountains; never did she imagine someone from the Evil Suppression Bureau would turn into a bandit!

“If you want to get off now, there’s still time.” Sang Que said calmly.

After her initial shock, Yao Zhen thought about it; bandits are also people, and as long as they’re well restrained, they can do good deeds, too. She shouldn’t discriminate against bandits.

Yao Zhen lifted her arms to pillow her head, leaning against the carriage, “Your creditor, it’s not like I’m superficial; bandits are actually quite good. Bandits enjoy freedom, don’t have to worry about the government’s chaotic rules, and don’t have to pay taxes; pretty good, pretty good.”

Sang Que laughed, flicked the whip, and sped up the return to Jinfeng Mountain.

Not long after leaving Pu’an County, Sang Que sensed someone trailing them—not one or two, but a group.

She and Yao Zhen peeked out and found they were all refugees from outside the city last night.

The birthmarks on Yao Zhen’s face were very recognizable; she didn’t like hiding her identity, so they were spotted as soon as they left the city.

Refugees traveled from Qinzhou to Jinzhou, seeking survival, and since they couldn’t make a living in Pu’an County, they naturally sought alternatives; the old, weak, sick, and frail stayed in Pu’an County, relying on the government’s daily serving of clear soup porridge to barely survive.

Those trailing behind were young people and children looking to make fortune, fully prepared for the possibility that if Yao Zhen’s Taoist Temple didn’t drive them away, they’d settle near the Taoist Temple and reboot their lives.

“How about taking them all up the mountain to become bandits with you?” Yao Zhen asked Sang Que.

Sang Que silently acknowledged that opportunity knocks, as she had been considering how to bring these people to the mountain, yet they followed on their own.

Sang Que gradually slowed the carriage, allowing the group behind to catch up.

“Yao Zhen.”

“What?”

“You’re older than me, so I should call you sister, but I find it somewhat strange; how about I address you by your Taoist name from now on?”

“Whatever, it’s just a name.”

“A question for you: do you Taoist Disciples have a quick communication method? I’d like to learn.”

In this era without mobile phones, carrier pigeons are easily shot down, and the effectiveness of a Divine Statue depends on one’s level, with range limitations, so learning a communication skill is quite necessary.

“Yes, there’s a method in the ’Five Ghosts Transporting Skill.’ As a Taoist Disciple, I can directly use bamboo talismans to borrow Five Ghosts from the Daoist Lord’s subordinates. If you want to learn, you’ll need to domesticate five ghosts first.”

Sang Que’s eyes lit up; how coincidental that the Deceitful Bride’s method also required five ghosts to carry the palanquin, serving two purposes at once.

“Can you elaborate? If it’s inconvenient, forget it.”

Yao Zhen didn’t mind, “It’s not inconvenient; the Evil Suppression Bureau actually uses this method, like the matter in Wangshan City and the war reports from Qinzhou’s border, relying on Five Ghosts messaging.”

“To truly learn it, at the very least, one must possess the ability to suppress Four-layered Evil Ghosts. The Five Ghosts shouldn’t be captured outside as they’re often unruly and can easily backfire. It’s best to open an altar and perform a ceremony to invite five gentle ghosts with offerings.”

“Once we’re back on the mountain, I’ll help you set up the altar and ceremony; it’s not difficult. You can then release the Yin Child, that little bully, and the Five Ghosts will obediently sign a contract with you.”

Sang Que’s eyes suddenly transformed into crimson Ghost Eyes, glaring at Yao Zhen, but soon returned to normal.

“What’s happening?” Yao Zhen asked, oblivious.

Sang Que took a deep breath and spoke slowly, “Next time, don’t call her ’little bully’; she doesn’t like it.”

Following the nickname ’pig killer,’ the Yin Child also acquired the moniker ’little bully,’ taking the blame unjustly, and from her perspective, Yin Child indeed felt quite aggrieved.

Earlier, with the glare of Ghost Eyes, Sang Que discovered she couldn’t see Yao Zhen’s past; the view was a dark fog, swirling darkly as if something terrifying lay behind, causing the Ghost Eye to vanish automatically instead of being repressed by her.

This implies that types like Daoists, Monks, including Yin Walkers, she shouldn’t casually peep at; lower-level individuals may be fine, but higher-level ones demand caution and discretion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep