Cultivation: Tax Evasion!

Heshan, among the mountain ranges of Xiangxiang, already counts as relatively high in terrain.

Because it is a place where flocks of birds gather, it got this name.

Qian Yun saw the outline of the distant mountain peak gradually forming and couldn't help letting out a breath.

Heshan Town was located halfway up the mountainside.

It was a rather unique mountain city, and the local residents all referred to themselves as mountain folk, there were more hunters than farmers.

Qian Yun signaled for the team to speed up. It would be best to enter the city before nightfall to avoid any danger.

But the journey so far had been fairly smooth. At the very least, they passed safely through the region where mountain bandits appeared.

The only thing that puzzled him was that the Restraint Officer accompanying the group had not revealed himself once, not even his name.

Ren Qing opened his eyes, stretched, and yawned.

To him, the past few days had flown by in an instant.

Perhaps because his remaining lifespan had dropped below ten years, the Taotie Method's support made the lifespan extension extremely efficient.

Ren Qing was now not far from advancing Divine Leg Sutra. At most, he'd need to go to the Ghost Market one more time to replenish resources.

With nothing to do while traveling, he mentally considered how to deal with Wuwei Gate.

The most troublesome part was first locating their traces, and then minimizing noise when taking them out.

After all, this wasn't some remote wilderness. Rushing in blindly would definitely attract the attention of Restraint Officers' Hall.

In the end, Ren Qing came to the conclusion: if he could infiltrate Wuwei Gate, locate the Immortal Lord from the inside, and dismantle them internally, that would be best.

As for this point, he had already tested it inside Wuwei Daoist Altar.

Ren Qing discovered that the embroidery representing a Grand Dao Officer on the Daoist robe could be hidden. Disguising himself as someone who accidentally entered wasn't difficult.

But it still depended on the situation.

The cart jolted, and Ren Qing came back to his senses.

The group was now traveling on winding mountain roads and had to proceed cautiously. If the horses were startled, they could fall off the cliff.

Ren Qing jumped down from the cart.

He watched the group leave. Only after everyone had entered the city did he turn around and disappear into the forest.

The return of the scholars to Heshan Town would definitely attract attention, including from both Restraint Officers' Hall and Wuwei Gate.

Ren Qing planned to stay outside the city for a few days, then sneak in.

He found a tree hollow to temporarily settle in, using wild grass to block the opening.

Just as well, Dragon-Snake Spine was about to completely absorb the spine taken from Nether Feather. Waiting a bit would enhance his power, even if not enough to trigger transformation.

Ren Qing cultivated with peace of mind inside the hollow, staying there for several days.

He would occasionally inspect the Prison Within the Abdomen. After the wolves had been corroded by wolf blood, most had already died without him noticing.

In the end, only three wild wolves were left, thanks to misfortune turning into fortune, they had aberrated to varying degrees.

The aberrated wolves were slightly larger in size. Their fur had completely shed, replaced with a layer of fine bone armor, and bone spikes grew from their backs.

In theory, these aberrated wolves could be used as mounts.

But the bone spikes on their backs were too sharp, there was no way to sit on them stably.

The husky, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Its body had grown over two meters, covered in thick fur, practically a natural cushion.

The downside was its overly energetic temperament, unless the husky was locked up together with the Divine Leg Sutra Supernatural Remnant.

Ren Qing summoned Dragon-Snake Spine. The pale spine was now faintly glowing; its flexibility and sharpness had both increased noticeably.

Unfortunately, for a true qualitative upgrade, he'd have to wait until advancing to Ghost Envoy realm.

Aside from the already reserved Divine Leg Sutra, Human Skin Book, Bone Armor Technique, and Immortal in the Mirror all had different emphases.

It was hard to choose which one to advance next. If only he had Dead Man's Sutra...

Ren Qing put away Dragon-Snake Spine, tidied up, and headed toward Heshan Town.

Unlike Sanxiang City, Heshan Town's city wall was relatively low, perhaps due to the natural defensibility of the terrain and the cost of construction.

Ren Qing had no intention of taking the main road. He went straight to a remote section of the city wall.

Then he exerted force with his legs and climbed upward, quickly reaching the top. Naturally, the guards didn't detect his presence.

Standing high up, Ren Qing looked down at the town below, showing a hint of interest in his expression.

Though Heshan Town was built on a relatively flat mountainside, the ground still had a certain tilt, causing the buildings to lean this way and that.

He didn't find it laughable. Instead, it gave off a peculiar sense of majesty.

The yamen had a long and narrow layout, there was definitely a Restraint Officers' Hall here, though probably only two or three Restraint Officers, most of whom likely stayed within the Hall.

Ren Qing had read Heshan Town's dossiers.

There were many mountain villages surrounding the town. The total population was likely around eighty thousand. The region was barely self-sufficient in terms of resources.

As for food, Heshan Town backed against the mountains and relied partly on hunting, while the rest came from terraced fields on the outskirts.

These terraced fields mainly grew rice. Looking around, many farmers were busy there, and one could hear loud folk songs echoing.

Ren Qing leapt down from the wall.

He adjusted his posture midair and left behind only a shallow pit upon landing.

Ren Qing dressed as a scholar and blended into Heshan Town. In fact, after the civil exams, there were indeed students from other cities who followed the team here.

As he walked along the streets, the slanting sensation became even more obvious.

From south to north, the elevation difference was over a foot. Buildings stacked closely, maintaining short distances from each other.

Ren Qing glanced around with his peripheral vision and noticed constables stationed every hundred meters or so.

The townspeople were engaged in lively chatter.

He couldn't help but listen in and was surprised to hear that in half a month, there would be a mountain god sacrifice to pray for peace and stability.

At first, Ren Qing thought he was lucky to arrive just in time for a festival.

But he quickly realized that wasn't the case.

Heshan Town had no fixed schedule for worshipping the mountain god. They would set up the altar and go all-out whenever something came up.

Sowing, harvest, praying for rain, flood or drought...

No wonder Wuwei Gate hid in Heshan, it was far too convenient for mass gatherings and spreading the Dao.

As dusk approached, Ren Qing decided to find an inn.

The city appeared normal on the surface, but every corner held oddities. With this, there was no rush to find traces of Wuwei Gate.

As long as he didn't expose himself, he could act according to opportunity.

He deliberately chose an inn closest to the yamen to minimize the chance of Wuwei Gate hiding nearby.

After all, Restraint Officers frequently passed through.

Because the inn saw little traffic, it mainly operated as a restaurant. Lodging was secondary.

The innkeeper was over forty, his hair already graying.

After Ren Qing said he needed a room, the innkeeper asked a few basic questions and then led him upstairs.

Ren Qing took the opportunity to interact with every staff member in the inn. Without exception, they were ordinary folk, no sign of Wuwei Gate.

On his first night in Heshan Town, Ren Qing deliberately kept part of his attention on alert.

He feared unexpected danger. Dragon-Snake Spine was wrapped around the ceiling beam, ready to react instantly at any disturbance.

But the outcome was unexpected.

Until sunrise, Heshan Town remained as calm as a lake.

Ren Qing shook his head. He spent each day holding a book and reading on the streets, at least on the surface. In truth, he was searching for any clues.

But after several days, there was still no movement.

It was then he realized he had fallen into a trap. Would Wuwei Gate really place its focus in a town guarded by Restraint Officers?

The answer was no.

Wuwei Gate, that two-faced bastard, clearly focused more on the surrounding mountain villages.

But to say they had no presence in town was also unrealistic.

At the very least, they would definitely get involved in the mountain god ritual.

The so-called mountain god was called "Arushen," and had been in Heshan Town for hundreds of years. The temple priests there didn't know any spell arts at all.

If Ren Qing rashly ventured into the mountain villages, he might not find the Immortal Lord and would only alert the enemy. So he decided to wait for the mountain god ritual.

During this time, even when the Ghost Market opened, he only made a quick trip to Great Dream Pavilion to replenish resources.

His soul fragment continued operating his business in Great Dream Forging; his main body returned to the physical world immediately.

As the mountain god ritual approached, Heshan Town grew lively.

Because this time they were praying for favorable weather, a large amount of food would be used as offerings. Preparations had begun several days in advance.

From dawn to dusk, the scent of burning firewood became a distinct presence in the air.

But even as the ritual neared, Wuwei Gate still hadn't shown any sign of activity, making Ren Qing wonder if they had given up.

Thankfully, preaching inside Wuwei Daoist Altar continued.

Clearly, the Immortal Lord believed that Ren Qing, having aberrated to this degree, couldn't possibly interfere with Wuwei Gate's operations in Heshan.

After all, Ren Qing's consciousness back then had taken the form of a giant wolf, it must have been caused by physical aberration.

He heard from the innkeeper that the ritual would last for several days and nights, starting with the "inviting of the gods."

The ritual would begin with the god-inviting ceremony.

Ren Qing blended into the crowd and headed toward the ritual site. Along the way, he encountered hundreds of townsfolk.

Their expressions were devout, and the procession orderly with no conflicts.

People poured into the main avenue from side roads, forming a vast current of people. Even with a rough estimate, it numbered in the thousands.

A three-meter gap had been reserved down the center of the street.

In this setup, sneaking in was all too easy.

Restraint Officers had indeed gotten involved, several reserve officers stood atop rooftops. On the surface, they appeared to be just early Half-Corpse level.

Ren Qing's presence was weak.

He openly observed the area without concern.

Soon there was a disturbance, the sound of hooves clattering on bricks. Judging by sound, at least eight strong horses.

In a town reliant on mountain roads, horses were rare.

Ren Qing turned to look and instinctively activated Double Pupils. At the end of the street, a carriage approached.

The carriage was transporting a mountain god statue over two meters tall, exquisitely carved, but the face was a complete blur.

Curtains around the statue bore many embroidered patterns, depicting Heshan Town's development from nothing to its current state.

Originally, the mountain folk had fled to the highlands to escape flooding. After hundreds of years, they gradually built what became Heshan Town.

A sudden thought stirred in Ren Qing's mind.

Why wait for Wuwei Gate to act, why not force them out?

Of course, the degree had to be well controlled.

He considered the feasibility as he approached the mountain ritual site.