Chapter 15 "Can the Magic Pill Sense It?"

"My lord, can the Magic Pill sense it?" the Blind Man asked.

Zheng Fan nodded. The next moment, the area around Zheng Fan's left eye began to be covered in a black-and-white hue. This was the eye of another emotion, carrying a kind of indifference to all living things.

"It's not far from here, follow me."

Zheng Fan flipped onto his horse and took the lead, galloping westward, followed closely by the others.

In fact, Zheng Fan's current perspective was very peculiar, because in his current vision, everything was in shades of gray, the only color being a wisp of red floating in front of him.

Could this be the remaining aura of that soul entity?

Soul entities should be rare in this world, much rarer than so-called psychic mages. It was just a coincidence, like a turtle finding a green bean; they were a perfect match.

No one could have imagined that Zheng Fan had been carrying a soul entity with him all this time, and one with independent thinking ability, complete self-awareness, and skills.

Like other Demon Lords, its strength had not fully recovered, but its experience was still there, which was why they could handle opponents of the same level with ease.

The Magic Pill was the same. Its strength had not recovered either, but some of its special abilities as a soul entity had awakened, and it knew how to use them.

The team advanced westward for less than ten *li*, arriving at a river. The river was not wide and had not thawed yet. On the banks of the river, there were two groups of people.

On one side was a middle-aged Taoist priest, followed by four or five disciples.

On the other side was a pair of men and women dressed in black.

At this moment, the Magic Pill completely concealed its aura, and Zheng Fan's left eye returned to normal.

The arrival of the Cuiliu Fort cavalry clearly startled them.

The man in black immediately laughed:

"Alright, it looks like there's no need to fight over it at all now."

With that, the man in black took out his waist token and threw it directly to the Cuiliu Fort knights, shouting:

"The Secret Spy Agency is handling a case, please cooperate!"

Zuo Jiqian stepped forward, picked up the waist token, examined it, turned back to Zheng Fan, and nodded.

"Military Lord, it is indeed a waist token from the Secret Spy Agency."

The Blind Man said, "They don't seem like people from the Secret Spy Agency."

The Secret Spy Agency was somewhat similar to the Silver Armor Guards of the Qian Kingdom, and these two organizations, like the well-known Embroidered Uniform Guards and Eastern Depot of later generations, were essentially the same kind of organization.

However, the man and woman who produced the waist token didn't seem like *fanzi* (secret agents) at all. In fact, they seemed more like outsiders than the group of Taoists on the opposite bank.

However, since the other party had produced their identification token, according to tradition, Zheng Fan's troops naturally had to obey their orders.

In other parts of the Yan Kingdom, this might not be the case. If the people from the Secret Spy Agency wanted to order the local garrison to cooperate, they would have to submit an application, but in Yinlang County, due to the Jingnan Marquis' family business, the relationship between the military and the Secret Spy Agency could be said to be extremely close.

So, the current situation was clear: one side was the Secret Spy Agency, and the other was an unidentified group that was clearly opposed to the Secret Spy Agency.

Zheng Fan waved his hand, and the knights on both sides immediately surrounded the group of Taoists.

The middle-aged Taoist priest snorted coldly and said:

"The Yan people are so barbaric, they always want to rely on their sabers to solve everything. How can they last long?"

The man in black shook his head and smiled:

"It's much better than you stray dogs. I should remind you to watch your words. I could completely report these words to the Jingnan Marquis and accuse your Tianhu Taoist Sect of harboring resentment. If your Taoist foundation is destroyed, it will all be due to your foul mouth."

Zheng Fan looked at the Blind Man, who was responsible for collecting intelligence information from various countries, including local customs and gangs. So, he looked to him for answers to any questions he didn't understand.

The Blind Man didn't disappoint Zheng Fan, answering like a commentary character in a single-player game:

"My lord, the ancestral home of the Tianhu Taoist Sect is on Tianhu Mountain, outside Litian City in the Jin Kingdom."

"Oh."

Zheng Fan responded. Litian City was the old nest of the Wenren family, but now it had become the Jingnan Marquis' new home.

In other words, the Tianhu Taoist Sect was now the Jingnan Marquis' new neighbor.

To be honest, being a neighbor of the Jingnan Marquis was not easy, after all, those who were family members with the Jingnan Marquis had already gone to heaven.

If the Jingnan Marquis was willing, he could easily order thousands of Jingnan army cavalry to trample your Tianhu Mountain ancestral home.

In today's world, although there are various sects and religions, they are all insignificant in the face of a large army.

The middle-aged Taoist priest's expression changed at this moment. Clearly, the black-clothed man's threat had hit his weakness.

The situation was stronger than the person. In times of national fragmentation, even those outside the secular world seemed so insecure!

"This Jade Figure Token has always been suppressed on Tianhu Mountain. Now that it has been trapped, it will naturally be re-suppressed on my Tianhu Mountain after it is re-sealed to prevent it from harming the world!"

"Tianhu Mountain belongs to my Great Yan, let alone this Jade Figure Token. Let's take a step back and say, I know that this Jade Figure Token was forcibly demanded from your Tianhu Mountain by the Wenren family head twenty years ago and enshrined in their ancestral temple. Otherwise, if my Great Yan cavalry had only broken Litian City but not attacked your Tianhu Mountain, how could this Jade Figure Token have been lost?

Since your Tianhu Mountain couldn't keep this object safe, then naturally we will take over."

Hearing this, Zheng Fan understood.

The Jade Figure Token must be the thing that sucks people's blood. It seemed to be an evil object. Originally, whether it was placed on Tianhu Mountain or in the Wenren family's ancestral temple in Litian City, it was suppressed obediently, but because the Yan army had broken the Wenren and Helian families, the war had led to the Jade Figure Token being lost.

And it just so happened to fall into Yinlang County.

"My Tianhu Mountain has a procedure to follow for suppressing the Jade Figure Token!" the middle-aged Taoist priest shouted.

"Alright, in a while, the new sects in your newly acquired territory will have to send their respective leaders to Yanjing to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Yan. You have a procedure to follow? Then submit your procedure, it's the same."

"This is too much!"

Hearing this, the smile on the black-clothed man's face became even brighter, saying:

"You just realized that?"

Then, the black-clothed man's expression suddenly turned cold, saying:

"Suppressing evil objects and preventing them from harming the world is the responsibility of you and me. I am not worried that you will stand idly by. As for which family this object will be handed over to suppress, there is nothing to discuss.

Now, I can still call you a fellow Taoist and give you some face. Help me subdue and seal this Jade Figure Token first. If you can't even handle this little thing.

Hehe, my Emperor has never liked keeping idlers."

With that, the black-clothed man looked towards Zheng Fan and shouted:

"Please have the military lord watch the perimeter."

Zheng Fan nodded and ordered his cavalry to spread out.

"To be honest, I've never seen Taoists fight," Zheng Fan whispered.

A'Ming nodded, agreeing: "We've been fighting and killing all along, I almost forgot that there are so many mystical things in this world."

"Yes, sometimes, if it weren't for seeing the *pixiu* beasts under the generals in the military camp, I would have subconsciously thought that this world was no different from the ancient world I was familiar with," Zheng Fan said with emotion.

The Blind Man reminded: "My lord, these are ultimately just minor paths."

The BaiLi siblings turned around and ran back to Shangjing City when they saw the Great Yan cavalry, and the Taoist masters of Tianhu Mountain still dared not speak out in anger when facing the Yan's sabers.

Ultimately, whoever has the stronger army has the greater say. The so-called great powers who can move mountains and seas and destroy a country with a flick of their fingers probably don't exist in this world.

While Zheng Fan and the other two were whispering, on the other side, by the river, the black-clothed man had already begun to make hand seals, and at the same time, the middle-aged Taoist priest on the opposite side also began to make hand seals.

Zheng Fan and the others immediately stopped talking and began to watch the show attentively.

The Blind Man even took out three oranges from his pocket, giving one to Zheng Fan and one to A'Ming.

"Buzz!"

A blue halo appeared in front of the black-clothed man, and then the halo suddenly fell into the frozen river surface.

The peach wood sword on the middle-aged Taoist priest's back shot out directly, lying across in front of him. He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed his essence blood onto the sword.

The next moment, the ice layer began to crack, as if something inside was being forced to break free.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion came, and something that looked like a black bear jumped out.

"Go!"

The peach wood sword in the middle-aged Taoist priest's hand shot out directly, piercing the black bear's chest.

The black bear was not killed with one blow, but instead roared and charged towards the middle-aged Taoist priest.

The many disciples around the middle-aged Taoist priest immediately stepped forward with their swords to resist, but the black bear seemed to be fearless of death, continuing to charge forward regardless of the swords piercing its body.

The middle-aged Taoist priest spread his hands out, each palm revealing a talisman, chanting incantations.

"Roar!"

Just then, the black bear's body suddenly swelled up, like a balloon, directly three times larger than before.

"Scatter!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest shouted to the surrounding disciples.

However, it was too late to scatter at this time.

Only a sound of exploding air currents was heard, and all the surrounding young Taoists were overturned, smashing heavily on the ground in extremely miserable deaths.

The middle-aged Taoist priest let out a low roar. Because there was a protective mirror magic item on his chest, although the air currents had caused blood to spill from the corners of his mouth, he still stood there upright.

"Hoo, we should also find a way to get one of these magic items in the future," Zheng Fan said.

Even though he had the Magic Pill, the Magic Pill could only block one sword at a time. The middle-aged Taoist priest's magic item would be more effective.

Zheng the *shoubei* (garrison commander) was never stingy when it came to protecting his life and increasing his chances of survival.

"My lord, after we settle down in the Jin territory, we can start to make friends with some people outside the secular world. They should be very happy to give us their ancestral treasures."

Happy, of course, they wouldn't be happy, but as long as you know where the good stuff is, just rob it.

Over there, the middle-aged Taoist priest had already stepped forward.

After the black bear had just self-destructed, its huge body immediately withered, like a sieve with leaks everywhere.

The two talismans in the middle-aged Taoist priest's hand were directly pasted on the black bear's body. In an instant, red grids like real objects appeared on the black bear's body, and the black bear's already collapsing body was forcibly pressed to the ground. With a *thump*, it fell face down.

At this time, the black-clothed man and woman had just crossed the river.

The middle-aged man coldly swept his gaze over the two of them, and then looked at the many disciples who had fallen to the ground beside him, motionless. His mood was naturally as bad as it could get.

The black-clothed man said directly:

"I didn't deliberately watch from the other side, after all, no one knows which head the demon beast controlled by the Jade Figure Token would pounce on."

The middle-aged Taoist priest ignored this explanation. In fact, he believed it in his heart, because although the two sides had different positions, some responsibilities were common. In the face of the major issues of dealing with demons and evil objects, they would not play such petty tricks.

Most importantly, the middle-aged Taoist priest knew that they didn't need to play such tricks.

"Cut it open and find the Jade Figure Token."

The black-clothed man said to the maid beside him.

The maid nodded, drew her saber, stepped forward, and directly cut open the black bear's back. The black bear let out its last feeble wail and completely lost its life.

Ignoring the blood and filth, the black-clothed maid began to search under the black bear's body, but after searching around, she couldn't find it.

The middle-aged Taoist priest snorted coldly and said:

"Head."

Clearly, the Jade Figure Token was not inside the black bear's body, but in the black bear's brain.

"Is the Jade Figure Token so small?" the black-clothed man asked.

The middle-aged Taoist priest explained: "It's only a little bigger than an ordinary jade pendant. It's normal that you don't know."

The black-clothed man heard the sarcasm in the other party's words, but he wasn't angry.

The Yan people believe in sabers, not gods and Buddhas.

When the late Emperor was in power, the various outside sects had a good time, but after Ji Runhao ascended the throne, a list was issued, and they were all cleaned up again.

Therefore, the people outside the secular world in the Yan Kingdom are not comparable to those in other countries, where national teachers and such emerge from time to time. In the Yan Kingdom, everything is practical. Those outside the secular world who are capable or have skills are incorporated into the Secret Spy Agency, but nominally they are part of the Secret Spy Agency, but in reality, they belong to the eunuch who is the head of the palace eunuchs.

It's a bit like martial arts sects being incorporated into the imperial court as court dogs. Therefore, in terms of knowledge and inheritance, they are indeed not comparable to the sects in other places.

After all, even that grand eunuch is not a talented person among the *lianqi shi* (Qi refiners), but is forcibly supported by the Ji family using the kingdom's destiny cauldron.

In the distance, Zheng Fan and the other three began to communicate in a private channel:

"Looks like it's resolved?" Zheng Fan asked.

"My lord, it should be resolved. They should be picking up equipment now," A'Ming said.

The Blind Man said: "My lord, there are only three of them. We have two hundred cavalry here. A wave of arrows and a wave of charge could take them all out."

People from outside the secular world and swordsmen are different. They may be better at dealing with evil objects and surveying celestial secrets, not good at killing people.

Therefore, if the surrounding two hundred cavalry charged, there was a high probability that they could successfully rob them.

But Zheng Fan shook his head, saying:

"Not safe."

Half of these two hundred cavalrymen were barbarian soldiers. In fact, the barbarian soldiers were more reliable, but a small half were convict soldiers. Although they resented the imperial court, it would be difficult to ensure that they were all of one mind and would not leak the secret.

Hearing this, the Blind Man nodded, knowing that Zheng Fan was doing this for the sake of safety. After all, everyone was waiting for the imperial court's decree to come down so they could go to the new territory in the Jin Kingdom to develop. If something went wrong at this time, it would indeed be a great loss.

"However, my lord, I have a feeling that the so-called Jade Figure Token should be an extremely good thing."

"I know, I know." Zheng Fan smiled and said: "However, what is mine will always be mine, and what is not mine, let's not force it for now."

A'Ming looked at the Blind Man strangely. He was curious as to why the Blind Man, who was always very steady, was so restless today?

However, A'Ming soon understood.

Magic items and such may be dispensable for the other Demon Lords. Even the lord follows the path of a warrior, but only the Blind Man's mental power, when combined with excellent magic items, would greatly increase its effectiveness.

It was a bit like meeting someone whose blood made you salivate. It was normal to be unable to restrain yourself and be restless, it was a normal physiological reaction.

On the other side, the black-clothed maid had already forcibly split open the black bear's head with a knife.

But at this moment, a black snake suddenly darted out of the black head, scurrying up the black-clothed maid's saber and biting her wrist. Then, it flung its body towards the middle-aged Taoist priest who was sitting there adjusting his breath.

The black-clothed man let out an angry roar. He never expected that the Jade Figure Token was actually a double parasite, first parasitizing a snake, and then controlling the black bear through the snake.

This had completely caught them off guard.

The peach wood sword in front of the middle-aged Taoist priest flew up directly, piercing the snake's tail, but the snake opened its mouth, and a black venom was sprayed out, directly splattering on the middle-aged Taoist priest's face.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest immediately let out a scream, covering his face and rolling around on the ground frantically.

The black-clothed man immediately made hand seals, preparing to suppress the snake.

There was a bulge in the snake's abdomen, it must have swallowed the Jade Figure Token into its body.

A blue halo appeared in front of the black-clothed man again, directly covering the snake. The snake's body was forcibly pressed to the ground, struggling, but it was clearly unable to break free.

"I'll see how much ability you have left after being sealed for hundreds of years!"

The snake's withered body suddenly stiffened.

A red light emitted from the snake's eyes.

"Pfft!"

A knife directly slit the black-clothed man's neck.

The man turned his head in disbelief, seeing the black-clothed maid standing beside him, her eyes releasing the same light as the snake.

"Thump!"

The black-clothed man fell to the ground.

On the other side,

Zheng Fan's mouth opened slightly,

A'Ming's eyes slowly widened,

The Blind Man's expression also became serious at once, saying:

"My lord, the following sentence is not flattery."

Zheng Fan nodded.

"My lord, I seem to have seen… providence."