Cultivation: Tax Evasion!

Ren Qing looked around, releasing a trace of aura either intentionally or unintentionally.

The barking of the dogs ceased abruptly.

Compared to the somewhat dull donkeys and horses, mutts were more sensitive to danger, and all of them immediately tucked their tails.

The peddlers exchanged doubtful glances, none of them noticing Ren Qing hidden among the crowd.

Ren Qing gradually retracted his aura, and the silence once again turned noisy.

Without hesitation, he walked toward a corner, where ordinary mutts were sold. In fact, their appearance was rather fierce.

Ren Qing's gaze landed on one of the dogs. Its hide was covered in scars, and it was locked alone in a narrow cage, unable to move.

"How much silver?"

"Three taels..."

The vendor had just opened his mouth when Ren Qing threw the silver without haggling, grabbed the cage, and vanished into the bustling morning market.

The vendor next to him couldn't help asking, "Old Li, didn't that dog bite someone a while ago?"

Old Li gave a sheepish smile. Ren Qing's demeanor clearly marked him as no ordinary person. If something bad happened, it wouldn't be worth it.

He couldn't help but feel regretful.

Ren Qing carried the cage, turning this way and that, until finally stopping in a secluded alley. He then released the mutt.

On the surface, the dog bared its teeth, but in truth, it was scared and tried to run.

Then it noticed the man's palm splitting open into a hideous mouth, and it was so terrified it collapsed on the ground, motionless.

Ren Qing tossed the mutt into the Prison Within the Abdomen.

He extracted some of the blood from the Divine Leg Sutra's Supernatural Remnant, diluted it heavily, and fed it to the dog. After that, he paid it no more attention.

Although this mutt was relatively clever, surviving the mutative transformation of wolf blood would depend mostly on physical resilience.

After replenishing supplies in the morning market, Ren Qing quickly headed for the North Gate.

After a brief wait, the convoy heading for Heshan Town began to gather.

The soldiers were already fully prepared, wearing light armor and carrying sabers at their waists. Even during idle moments, they were applying bronze oil to their weapons.

The students who had taken the imperial exam appeared uneven.

A few had ranked on the golden list and looked high-spirited, dressed neatly and carrying specialties from Sanxiang City, ready to return home in glory.

The others were silent, and not a few wore numb expressions.

They had participated in many imperial exams, and their spirits were nearly ground down. Taking the exam had become a matter of gambling on luck.

Not everyone could endure the blow of failing the imperial exam. Over the past few days, several people in the city had already jumped into the river.

Before departing, Ren Qing left a letter at Corpse Burners' Hall briefly explaining the situation.

The starting point didn't matter to him. After all, so long as he was within Xiangxiang, he could enter the Restraint Officers' Hall from anywhere.

It wouldn't interfere with business in the ghost market either.

The group heading for Heshan Town totaled seventy to eighty people.

Normally, there would be no need for a Restraint Officer escort, but due to the previous disappearance of students from Annan Town, this time was an exception.

Seeing that it was nearly time, the group began to move northward along the official road at a steady pace.

A middle-aged military officer made a circuit around the group, then rode his horse to the rear.

The officer's name was Qian Yun, and he was the only one in the group aware that a Restraint Officer would be accompanying them. He intended to greet Ren Qing before departure.

But before he could get close, the Restraint Officer suddenly disappeared. No matter how he searched, he couldn't locate him.

Qian Yun opened his mouth but sensibly returned to the front of the group.

Since the man didn't intend to show himself, Qian Yun didn't have the courage to intrude and quietly led the group toward Heshan Town.

In truth, Ren Qing hadn't deliberately concealed himself, he had only used Immortal in the Mirror to slightly reduce his presence. Unexpectedly, the effect was this good.

This proved that the technique created by that ***, someone even the information stream couldn't glimpse, could truly erase one's presence.

If Ren Qing wanted to leave Xiangxiang someday, then the Disaster Dispelling Method was definitely worth obtaining.

He lay comfortably on a cart used to transport supplies, eyes half-closed as if resting, but actually cultivating.

By actively visualizing The Taotie Method, he accelerated digestion and indirectly improved the efficiency of lifespan extension.

He planned to accumulate thirteen years of lifespan before advancing the Divine Leg Sutra to the next level.

Once the Divine Leg Sutra reached the Ghost Envoy realm, it would experience a qualitative leap, increasing his chances of dealing with the Blind Daoist.

While meditating, Ren Qing paid attention to his surroundings. This was the One Split Mind ability of Twin Nightmare Ghosts.

He didn't even need the group to provide food, his Prison Within the Abdomen already stored plenty. He could even fill his belly by swallowing eyeballs alone.

Soon, Ren Qing was fully immersed in cultivation, and time passed without his notice.

During this period, the Wuwei Daoist Altar produced many preachers. Judging by their accents, most came from the Heshan Town area, with fewer from Annan.

And as time went on, the frequency of preaching increased.

He began to suspect whether someone was deliberately spreading Dao Sheng Dao. The Blind Daoist had always preferred quality over quantity.

When Ren Qing came to, the journey was already halfway done.

He belatedly thought about the mutt in the Prison Within the Abdomen.

Upon checking with his mind, he was surprised to find that the mutt was still alive and hadn't died from ingesting the wolf blood.

It had undergone significant transformation. Its patchy fur had fallen off, replaced by grey-and-white hair.

Its eyes had become sharp, and its body had grown to over half a meter, looking more like a wolf than a dog.

Ren Qing twitched his mouth. Wasn't this supposed to be mutation? Why did it feel like the breed had changed?

It now looked six or seven parts like a husky, with a similarly hyperactive personality, constantly bouncing around.

Ren Qing gave up on releasing the "Huskie" for now, fed it more wolf blood, and turned his attention back to the outside world.

According to the marked map, they were already close to Heshan Town. Only three small hills remained to be crossed.

But trouble followed closely behind, these hills were occupied by a group of bandits.

Qian Yun was tense. Normally, with government troops leading the way, no bandits would dare rob them.

But the journey had been unusually quiet, not even a single wandering merchant in sight. Something strange was afoot.

If anything truly went wrong, he knew the Restraint Officer might not necessarily intervene.

Qian Yun quickly signaled his soldiers to stay alert and to blow the horn at the slightest disturbance.

Under this pressure, the students became uneasy as well.

The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.

Qian Yun's instincts were spot on. Not long after nightfall, two or three dozen torches appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching.

Though the soldiers held a numerical advantage, the students were unarmed and would surely suffer casualties in battle.

Qian Yun didn't pin his hopes on the Restraint Officer. He quickly signaled the group to form a defensive circle.

The wagons were arranged into a phalanx surrounding the sides, with soldiers stationed front and rear.

As the torches came within a hundred meters, the students held their breath, silent as mice. A few even collapsed to their knees.

Ren Qing sat half-cross-legged, expression strange.

His soul fragment floated in the air, clearly seeing the bandits.

The gang leader was over two meters tall, wielding a massive spiked mace as he emerged from the trees to face the soldiers directly.

Ren Qing felt this man wasn't an ordinary bandit, his body bore traces of mutation, possibly from a technique?

Qian Yun said in a low voice, "I am Qian Yun, centurion of Heshan Town. Are you sure you want to defy the government?"

Hearing this, the bandits grew hesitant, it was clear they hadn't come willingly.

The dogheaded advisor turned pale, sweat covering his forehead.

He leaned in to whisper to the boss, "This is going to be trouble. If the government retaliates later…"

"Hehehehehe…"

The bandit leader gave a strange laugh, stroked his heavily pregnant-looking belly, and swept his greedy eyes across the group.

Like a madman, he grabbed the advisor's neck and twisted it into a spiral.

Blood dripped from his hand onto the dirt.

He then twisted off the man's head and drank greedily from the neck. The other bandits stepped back in unison.

Qian Yun's face grew grim. He pulled out a pouch of silver from his coat and threw it hard.

"If you let us pass today, we'll pretend nothing happened."

"Hahahaha!"

The bandit leader grinned fiercely. He smashed the pouch with his spiked club, and the silver rained down.

Even the bandits didn't dare pick it up, trembling where they stood.

The boss, clearly with impaired intellect, stammered, "You… leave half, the rest… can go."

"Then there's nothing more to say. Prepare to fight."

Qian Yun drew his saber.

The soldiers interlocked their positions with practiced discipline.

Qian Yun spurred his horse, dashing toward the boss, hoping to catch him off guard and kill him.

But before he could get close, a dense heartbeat sounded from the man's chest.

The bandit leader leapt with agility, smashed down with his club, and sent Qian Yun flying. His horse was reduced to a bloody pulp.

Ren Qing momentarily blanked out.

The leader didn't pursue. Instead, he wore an exaggerated smile and began counting on his fingers, muttering to himself.

"Oh… oh… oh…"

"Now I can… find the immortals my mother spoke of… and learn immortal techniques…"

Ren Qing knew he hadn't guessed wrong. This man had clearly experienced preaching, and survived the bizarre immortal technique's side effects.

He had even learned the technique inscribed on the bamboo slip.

It was clearly the nonsense he had made up: the "Pure Yang Filthless Method." Absolutely absurd.

The leader approached the group, bandits following slowly.

He enjoyed the terrified stares of the crowd, his heartbeats growing louder.

Suddenly, he sensed something wrong, those weak soldiers were all staring behind him in unison.

He turned instinctively.

The hilltops were littered with the bandits' corpses, each pierced through the chest by sharp weapons, killed without a sound.

"Ah, how…"

Dragon-Snake Spine flashed.

Pain erupted from his belly as it was split open.

Thirty-six hearts filled his abdomen. His other organs were partially atrophied, an eerie and grotesque sight.

Ren Qing gazed into the distance. The mountain stronghold definitely held a preacher.

And under the influence of the Wuwei Daoist Altar, the technique seemed to have changed..