[You have obtained the Thousand Li Communication Token!]
[Thousand Li Communication Token (Special Edition)]
[Quality: Gathered Essence Third Level]
[Effect: After vital Qi is triggered, it automatically sends a distress signal to a designated location and marks the position of the receiving target.]
[You have obtained the Evil-Repelling Almanac!]
[Evil-Repelling Almanac (Special Edition)]
[Quality: Gathered Essence Third Level]
[Effect: Can provide warnings based on the user's Fortune level; the higher the level, the stronger the effect, with the highest applicable level being 'Yan San'.]
Having received the treasures, Chen Shijie offered a few words of caution, and everyone expressed their gratitude before taking their leave.
Zhao Xing held the two treasures, feeling somewhat surprised. He had not expected that the appearance of the Mysterious Heaven Sect would allow him to obtain these two treasures in advance, and they were even special editions.
"The Thousand Li Communication Token, compared to the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Talisman, has an additional automatic tracking and positioning function. Sometimes, in urgent situations, there is simply no time to speak, making the token far superior to a disposable talisman," Zhao Xing observed, noticing the red, blue, and green beads embedded in it.
Each color corresponded to different levels of emergency; red represented extreme danger, typically indicating an invasion from a hostile nation. If a signal was received, it would at least require the mobilization of a small army to investigate.
Recalling what Wang Long had said about the East Lake Army, Zhao Xing felt that this token must have been specially made for the military.
Just by looking at its grade, it was clear that a Gathered Essence Third Level treasure was something ordinary people could hardly possess.
The Evil-Repelling Almanac, on the other hand, was quite common; many ordinary households had one, but most were of low quality.
Any almanac that was of a certain grade generally possessed miraculous effects.
For instance, this Evil-Repelling Almanac.
"It’s not the complete version, but it is still a special edition, eliminating the auspicious effects and enhancing the evil-repelling effects."
"The higher the Fortune level, the more pronounced the effects."
The complete version of the almanac was difficult to obtain because it resided within the imperial palace, classified as a super-grade 'rare treasure'.
All the almanacs in the world were derived from that super-grade 'treasure'.
This treasure's ranking was not inferior to the later 'Cloud Dream Academy', though it was still somewhat weaker than the Grand Dream Academy, which was a national treasure.
Even so, obtaining the Evil-Repelling Almanac was still quite good.
Almanacs with 'auspicious' effects were extremely rare, typically requiring a grade of four or higher, and to achieve a strong effect, one would need a grade of seven.
Fortune dynasties generally set things up this way. Why? To prevent everyone from using this item for nefarious purposes and to avoid people reaping benefits without effort.
Moreover, if everyone could 'seek auspiciousness', it would mean that no one truly had it.
"Those in poverty cannot obtain the 'Auspicious Version' almanac, and those who possess it are either rich or noble, so they generally won't use it for profit."
"Well, my Fortune level is Yan Er, so the effect of the Evil-Repelling Almanac should be decent... Hmm?" Just as Zhao Xing exited the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, intending to check on his fields in the eastern suburbs, the almanac suddenly flipped open on its own.
With a rustle, the almanac turned pages and then stopped on one.
[Year Fifteen of Emperor Jing, July Twenty-Second, at the third quarter of the hour of the snake.]
[Evil-Repelling Warning: Medium Evil; traveling east poses hidden dangers.]
This was what the almanac displayed.
At the same time, a prompt appeared on the panel.
[You have used the Gathered Essence Third Level treasure 'Evil-Repelling Almanac'. Based on your Fortune level and known information, you receive the following warning:]
[If you depart at the hour of the snake to travel east, you will encounter a hidden Mysterious Heaven Sect follower at a tea shop, inadvertently attracting attention, with life and death uncertain. Please do not proceed!]
"Damn, hidden dangers? Could it be that those lunatics from the Mysterious Heaven Sect really came near Grain City?" Zhao Xing glanced at the almanac, comparing it with the panel's prompt, feeling somewhat speechless.
There were four levels of ominous signs: small, medium, large, and extreme.
Usually, the latter three were quite rare.
He hadn't expected that right after obtaining it, a medium-level ominous sign would appear.
Since Zhao Xing was already aware of the existence of the Mysterious Heaven Sect and had various pieces of information, the panel provided more detailed insights.
Was his Fortune really that useful? Just after obtaining it, he received such a warning?
"Do not travel east; hidden dangers await. Time to slip away," Zhao Xing decisively chose to avoid the east side; he would not be going to the eastern suburbs today.
As for reporting? That was impossible; the information was too sparse. There were so many tea shops in the east, who knew which one had a demon lurking? Even if he knew the details, he couldn't possibly explain himself. The Evil-Repelling Almanac didn't provide such specifics.
The Great Zhou had no sects; all previous sects had been expelled from the Nineteen Provinces. 'Expelling sects to the outskirts' referred to the achievements of a certain emperor.
Thus, once the system of the unified Fortune dynasty was established, there was essentially no survival ground for evil gods, lewd worship, or sect demon practitioners, at most some petty squabbles.
"Yet under such circumstances, the Mysterious Heaven Sect could still occasionally stir up trouble across several dynasties, demonstrating its existence. Its power is still quite terrifying; it is one of the few ancient sects with active disciples during the dynasty era."
"The main sect is mostly closed off and in a dormant state, but the remaining followers still constitute a significant force, at least for me right now," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"I wonder if others will notice. However, if there are indeed Mysterious Heaven Sect followers lurking around the public fields..."
Turning around, Zhao Xing returned to the Agricultural Affairs Bureau, finding Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong.
"Ziyu, Qian Dong, what are the plans for later?"
"Ziyu and I plan to head to the eastern suburbs, then go home for lunch before heading back to the eastern suburbs," Qian Dong replied lazily. "The food at the Agricultural Affairs Bureau doesn't suit my taste."
"It’s already the major heat season; re-cultivating the Yuan Rice requires constant use of 'cultivation' spells to survive. It’s really exhausting, sigh..." Chen Ziyu said with a frown.
"By the way, big brother, what did Chen Shijie call you for?" Qian Dong asked.
"He said there are demon practitioners causing trouble, specifically targeting the officials of the Agricultural Affairs Bureau and the Heavenly Craft Workshop. Chen Shijie reminded us to be cautious and even bestowed some defensive items," Zhao Xing replied, which was nothing he couldn't share since it had already spread.
The public order in Nanyang County was still quite good, at least that was the impression, so Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong didn't pay much attention. Instead, upon hearing that Zhao Xing had obtained two treasures, they clamored to see them.
Zhao Xing was more than happy to have them abandon their plans for the eastern suburbs. The three of them simply ate in the city, and by the afternoon, he took out the almanac, walked east, and found that no warning had appeared, instantly feeling much more at ease.
"No warning appeared; they must have left? Probably just scouting? I heard that Li Chengfeng and the other top-ranking officials didn’t take it seriously and deliberately went to the eastern suburbs to stroll around, hoping to achieve merit. I wonder if anyone has gone missing." Zhao Xing thought to himself, wishing that the Mysterious Heaven Sect would stir up some trouble and capture some of the top-ranking officials. With fewer strong competitors, wouldn’t his chances of being promoted be much greater?
But such thoughts were destined to be wishful thinking. Until early August, there were no reports of anyone going missing; Grain City remained peaceful, and even the East Lake Army had withdrawn some troops.
On the second day of August, old agricultural officer Xue Wenzhong returned to the Huai Liu Courtyard after a ten-day sick leave, and everything seemed to be unchanged.
The people at the Agricultural Affairs Bureau quickly forgot about the matter, as the autumn assessment was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)