"The assessment will begin at the hour of the Dog and end at dawn during the hour of the Rabbit."
"Everyone will hold a Second Level Guiding Talisman and patrol the area, which includes the lake area, bay area, and the thirty-two docks."
"The content of the assessment is to soothe the souls of the drowned and other lonely spirits."
"Soothe ten souls without using 'Summon Deity', rated as A grade."
"Soothe five souls without using 'Summon Deity', rated as B grade."
"Soothe three souls without using 'Summon Deity', rated as C grade."
"If you cannot soothe even one soul, you must quickly 'Summon Deity'; do not disturb the peace of the villagers for the sake of ratings."
"If a deity is summoned, the assessment will end early. Is that clear?"
"Understood."
"There is still plenty of time to prepare; go find your places."
"Yes, Lord Meng."
As Meng Yun, the officiant of the temple, finished speaking, the small officials dispersed to prepare for the upcoming assessment.
Zhao Xing activated his Bright Eyes and saw that Meng Yun was carrying a package on his back.
Inside the package was a person about two feet tall.
The figure had a rosy complexion, wielding a miniature crescent blade, with a face full of majesty and righteousness.
Initially, the figure had its eyes closed, but suddenly opened them and even smiled at Zhao Xing.
Bright Eyes see ghosts and deities!
Before encountering any ghosts, he first saw the Yin Deity enshrined in the Temple of Divinity.
Zhao Xing cupped his hands in salute, then quickly retracted his spell and looked with his naked eyes; what was behind Meng Yun was merely an ordinary sandalwood statue.
"Hmm? Why has the True Lord awakened?" Meng Yun seemed to sense something and turned to look back.
Zhao Xing had already shifted his gaze away.
"Goodness, even the East Lake Marquis has been brought out. If there are indeed souls coming ashore, with this one stationed here, even a cart wouldn't be enough to deal with them."
Currently, the souls posed little threat; to ordinary people, they could at most disturb a peaceful dream, leaving them fatigued and listless for a few days.
Unless someone specifically nurtured souls, which was a serious crime, and if discovered, one would be labeled as an outsider demon.
Moreover, with the officiant of the temple bringing out the East Lake Marquis's spirit, even if Zhao Xing jumped into a pile of souls to dance, those souls wouldn't dare touch a hair on him.
After all, he was a man whom the East Lake Marquis had once retained!
"Young master, what are you looking at?" Xu Laoba asked in confusion, noticing that Zhao Xing had suddenly stopped walking.
"Oh, it's nothing. I thought I saw someone familiar; I must have been mistaken," Zhao Xing casually brushed it off.
"Should we continue wandering, or go to work?" Xu Laoba couldn't help but urge.
They had been wandering for more than half an hour, and this master showed no sign of wanting to end it.
Having earned the money too easily, Xu Laoba felt uneasy.
Two and a half taels of silver was no small amount.
"There's no rush, no rush. Let's eat something first." Zhao Xing walked into a stall and casually ordered several skewers of grilled meat. "You can eat as much as you want; it's all on me. No alcohol, though, to avoid any mishaps."
"Alright, thank you, young master." Xu Laoba was not polite and ordered dozens of skewers. Seeing that Zhao Xing showed no reaction, he felt that this young master was indeed generous. He resolved that he would not let him leave empty-handed tonight.
Dozens of skewers of grilled meat, a few bowls of noodle soup, and four grilled fish only cost a single coin, with authentic flavors and generous portions, making it quite a bargain.
Xu Laoba felt about seventy percent full and stopped eating, as he would need to go into the water soon.
Zhao Xing was only half full, so he continued to order more.
Xu Laoba watched in astonishment: "This master looks tall and thin, yet his appetite is so large. I’m already seventy percent full, and he eats about the same as me. How can he still eat? Could he be a practitioner?"
Although Zhao Xing was not a martial artist, with his Gathered Essence Third Level, his physical constitution far exceeded that of Xu Laoba, so naturally, his appetite was considerable.
Just as he was eating grilled fish, suddenly—
"Whoosh~"
A gust of wind blew through the stall.
"Hmm?" Zhao Xing paused his actions; he was sensitive to the wind, and this inexplicable breeze was clearly not normal.
"Is it a Yin Wind? It carries a bit of moisture... Is a water ghost coming ashore?"
The Wind Summoning spell has an advanced direction called [Yin Wind Attacks Souls], which is generally only qualified for military Agricultural Affairs Bureau personnel to learn.
Zhao Xing discerned that this was not a man-made Yin Wind, and feeling the dampness, he immediately understood that a water ghost had indeed come ashore.
He saw a ghostly figure, drenched and wandering aimlessly in the street, dressed in silk and plump in stature.
Checking the almanac, there was no warning, and calculating the time, it was nearly the Ding Mao hour.
"You wait here and don't move; I will come find you shortly." Zhao Xing settled the bill and followed after.
"Hey? Young master... where did he go?" Xu Laoba was somewhat bewildered; Zhao Xing seemed to be walking slowly, yet in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the crowd. "How strange."
Zhao Xing quickened his pace, swiftly catching up to the plump wandering soul, walking alongside him.
With Bright Eyes Nine Turns, he could see ghosts and deities, and naturally, he could communicate as well. Zhao Xing observed for a moment and asked, "Uncle, what are you looking for?"
The plump wandering soul turned his head, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, his lips pale: "I am looking for the way home."
Zhao Xing cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask where your home is, uncle?"
The plump ghost murmured, "I am from the west of the county, living in the south of the county town of Dangyou, the Jia residence."
West of the county? Dangyou County? While Zhao Xing was still pondering where that was, he heard the plump ghost muttering in confusion, "But I can't find it. I can't find it..."
At this moment, Zhao Xing came to his senses; Dangyou County was a lower county that had merged with another lower county, Ping Shan, twelve years ago, and was renamed You Shan County.
It would be strange if he could find it; his body had drifted from the west of the county to the south!
So this person had been dead for at least twelve years?!
Zhao Xing pondered for a moment and continued, "Uncle, if you want to go home, do you have something to convey?"
The plump wandering soul nodded: "Yes, I need to tell my wife that I have died, and they should retrieve my corpse. I also need to tell her that I have a sum of silver packed away, buried in..."
"Where is it buried?"
The plump wandering soul suddenly turned his head, ghostly fire flickering in his eye sockets: "Why should I tell you? You are not my family."
"…"
No objections; it was quite reasonable.
After saying that, the plump ghost continued to wander aimlessly, muttering, "I am from the west of the county, living in the south of the county town of Dangyou, I want to go home, but where is home? I can't find it..."
Zhao Xing was about to communicate again when suddenly he heard a clear shout from ahead: "Soul, return!"
Then he saw a beam of golden light shining upon the plump wandering soul, causing it to stop muttering and involuntarily walk towards the source of the golden light.
Others could not perceive the voice and the golden light's anomaly, but Zhao Xing could see and hear it. He saw a figure ahead holding a Guiding Talisman; it was one of the officials from the temple assessment.
(The chapter ends here.)