Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 583 The Flame Illuminates the Palace, the Nobleman Trapped in a Golden Cage
The pedestrian station is protected by a magical barrier; no one is allowed to enter, not even mosquitoes or flies.

The copper ant was able to be brought to the Human Affairs Bureau entirely thanks to Third Sister.

Although San Niang could not directly enter the Bureau of Personnel, after she hid under the oil-paper umbrella, neither the Jiao Tu Mirror Wall nor the witchcraft barrier could detect her presence, so naturally they could not prevent Shang Lu from taking her into the Bureau of Personnel.

Before the night fog dissipated this morning, Shang Lu had already put everything into the Impermanence Token and given it to San Niang to swallow, thus deceiving the layers of detection in the Travelers' Bureau.

Inside the pedestrian office, due to the isolation provided by the witch array, there were no small insects like ants. Fortunately, Shang Lu had a solution: he made the copper ants curl up into a ball, disguising them as tiny, inconspicuous grains of sand, and they rolled silently throughout the pedestrian office.

Although it took a lot of time, it managed to deceive the strange eyes on the carved railings and painted beams, allowing Shang Lu to "see" the various situations in the Travelling Bureau through the copper ants.

We also saw the separate courtyard where the high-ranking officials and clerks of the Ba Kingdom were housed.

As Feng Ping and Pan Sheng testified, the gate of this courtyard was wide open, and there were no Chu shamans or soldiers guarding it. The high-ranking officials, clerks, and their entourages living inside were free to move around and talk in the courtyard.

They were all pale, as if they were either recovering from a serious illness or not yet fully recovered.

Pokeweed did not drive the copper ants closer, nor did it rashly contact the high-ranking officials or pawnbrokers.

His intuition told him that although the villa looked normal, there was something strange about it!
Especially when the copper ant glimpsed the high priest of the southern barbarian tribe and his entourage in another courtyard, who were also moving freely and unattended, Shang Lu's alarm bells immediately went off.

Yesterday, outside the police station, several spies from the southern barbarian tribes were arrested. Today, a curse was found on the body of one of the officers. Normally, these two villas should have been heavily guarded and strictly protected.

This kind of "freedom" now is like an open trap, waiting for its prey!

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. The Public Works Department provided meals, one of the few perks the officers could enjoy.

During the meal, the pokeweed and the rat on patrol bumped into each other.

The two did not sit together; there were several people between them. They did not greet each other, but communicated using a secret telepathic technique while eating.

The beams in the dining hall are also painted with images of birds, beasts, and humans.

They looked down at everyone with wide eyes, while also eavesdropping with their ears.

They can hear even the faintest sound.

They can even see through and eavesdrop on ordinary sound transmission techniques.

However, the pokeweed and the rat used a secret technique created by the rat itself, which these strange "eyes and ears" could not see or hear at all.

After hearing Shang Lu's report, Zi Shu Xun Shou took the opportunity while eating to transmit his voice, saying, "You're right. There's definitely a trap hidden in the courtyard. And most of the people in the courtyard are suspicious."

Shang Lu's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued slurping his rice and asked telepathically, "What did the patrol discover?"

The Rat Hunter said coldly, "I secretly sent out a signal through their hair, but the Grand Master and the Clerk didn't react at all. Either they're being controlled and aren't acting as freely as they seem, or the people in the courtyard aren't them at all!"

Shang Lu hadn't expected that the Rat on patrol was both skilled and daring, actually risking sending a secret signal, but fortunately it went unnoticed.

"We need to find out the truth and figure out what's really going on in the other courtyard," said Zishu Xunshou decisively.

Shang Lu was somewhat worried and asked via telepathy, "Aren't you afraid of alerting the enemy?"

"These past two days, the barbarians have been making constant moves, the snake has already been alarmed, so what is there to be afraid of?"

The Rat's patrol appeared calm, but when he mentioned the barbarians, his tone was still full of hatred.

"I'll leave my hair at the Pedestrian Bureau, and tonight it will transform into a clone to use barbarian witchcraft to investigate the barbarian villa. That way, even if we're exposed, we can shift the blame onto the barbarians! The most urgent task right now isn't to avoid alerting them, but to ascertain the safety of the Pedestrian Chief and the Pedestrian Manager as soon as possible!"

Shang Lu remained silent and no longer objected.

The rat's patrol is absolutely right; time is of the essence, and there is no room for hesitation.

"also……"

Before he could finish saying "good," Shang Lu suddenly saw San Niang's figure float out from under the oil-paper umbrella and drift straight out of the dining hall.

The "eyes and ears" on the beam didn't notice her presence at all.

"Does Third Sister have a solution?"

Shang Lu's mind raced. Based on his understanding of San Niang, he knew she would never act rashly. Her actions now must be based on certainty and a plan.

He immediately changed his tune and said telepathically, "Don't rush the inspection tour. I might have a solution. If that doesn't work, then you can take action."

"Do you have any idea?"

The Rat on the Hunt was somewhat surprised. He initially wanted to tell the Pokeweed not to act recklessly, but then he remembered the various miracles the Pokeweed had created in the past. In the end, he changed his mind and simply instructed, "Alright. You can try it first. Remember, never be reckless."

"Understood, Your Excellency," Shang Lu replied.

After a brief conversation, the two stopped communicating telepathically and focused on their meal.

From beginning to end, no one, or any "informant," noticed that they had a private conversation.

After lunch, as he left the dining hall, Shang Lu saw Third Sister floating back.

Without needing to ask, Third Sister's voice rang in Shang Lu's mind:
"The courtyard is empty. The people you see, such as the high-ranking officials and the pawnbrokers, are all in disguise by evil spirits! They are holding their master's objects and using the witchcraft array in the courtyard to conceal themselves, which is why they look so lifelike."

"A demon in disguise?!"

Shang Lu was secretly alarmed. Luckily, they hadn't acted rashly, or they would have walked right into a trap.

Third Sister then added, "I searched the entire Travelling Bureau, but I couldn't find any trace of the Chief Traveller or the Pawnbroker. They probably aren't here."

Not at the pedestrian station?
Where were they taken?
A cloud of doubt instantly filled Shang Lu's mind, but he showed no sign of it. He calmly instructed San Niang to retrieve the copper ant, while he continued to work under the identity of Feng Ping until the end of the yamen.

After leaving the travel agency, Shang Lu did not make contact with Zi Shu's patrol. In accordance with Feng Ping's usual style, he hurriedly headed to Widow Zhang's restaurant.

I lingered in the restaurant for a long time, until the night watchman's gong sounded in the streets—the sky was darkening, and the night fog was rising—before I finally left, feigning reluctance.

Back at Feng Ping's home, after waiting for the thick night fog to engulf the world, Shang Lu took out a shadow puppet, inflated it, and placed it on the bed to pretend that Feng Ping was fast asleep.

He then picked up a lantern, slung his witch knife over his shoulder, and quietly pushed open the door.

The figure quickly disappeared into the rolling night fog.

This trip to Shanglu went much more smoothly than the one last night.

The Eye Demon and the Mist Nightmare were intimidated by the firelight and dared not approach. They did not encounter any more unknown monsters on the way and soon entered the West Market.

Just as Shang Lu was about to head straight for the fur shop, San Niang suddenly raised her hand and pointed to a place shrouded in night fog: "Go there."

"Ok?"

Shang Lu immediately stopped and looked in the direction San Niang pointed. Although the fog was thick, he could still see a cluster of buildings and smell a faint scent of incense.

"That's... a witch temple?" Shang Lu asked, somewhat surprised. "What are you doing at a witch temple at this time?"

"Fortune telling," came Third Sister's concise reply.

Shang Lu was taken aback, but quickly recovered: "You can divine where the Grand Master and the Pawnbroker are?"

Seeing that Third Sister nodded, he was surprised: "Isn't divination for finding someone supposed to require a personal item belonging to the target person?"

Third Sister corrected, "It's not just personal items, but items that have been used recently. Otherwise, the scent they carry will dissipate and they won't be of any use."

"No wonder the inspector didn't have anyone help with divination; that's why." Shang Lu suddenly realized.

Among the twelve hunting expeditions, there was one who was skilled in divination, but the Rat Hunting Tribe did not seek his help. At first, Shang Lu thought that there were various restrictions in the Chu capital, making it difficult for the Rat Hunting Tribe to send messages to the Ba Kingdom.

Now it seems the situation is even more complicated.

Without asking any further questions, Shang Lu immediately lit a lantern and hurried towards the shaman temple.

When they arrived at the temple, the gates were already tightly shut.

But this didn't stump the pokeweed.

He didn't even need to climb over the wall to enter the courtyard. He simply released his vital energy and let it penetrate through the crack in the door, easily opening the gate of the witch's academy.

The temple was quiet, shrouded in mist, but no Eye Demons or Mist Nightmares were walking around inside.

However, the people inside the temple kept their doors tightly shut and did not lower their guard just because there were no eye demons or fog demons inside the temple.

In the night fog, aside from the Eye Demon and the Fog Nightmare, unknown and eerie creatures may appear.

No one can guarantee that the unknown monster won't sneak into the temple.

Everything must be done with extreme caution.

Pokeweed is also very cautious.

Although everyone inside the temple was hiding in their own rooms, he remained vigilant, crouching low and following closely behind San Niang, heading straight for the Houtu Hall.

The moment he pushed open the palace door, Shang Lu felt a gaze fixed on him.

Shang Lu felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively reached for his sword, but he quickly realized that the gaze felt very familiar.

Is it the gaze of the Goddess Houtu?

Shang Lu looked up and saw the statue of Houtu enshrined in the main hall, seemingly looking down at him. Shang Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on the witch knife.

Incense and candles burned inside the main hall, but the faint light did not dispel the gloom; instead, it added to the eeriness of the place.

Shang Lu closed the temple door, walked to the statue of Houtu Niangniang, bowed and offered incense.

He wasn't worried about leaving any traces; when he left, he would simply take the burnt incense ash along with the bamboo pole.

After he finished offering incense and turned around, he saw that Third Sister had taken out a handful of yarrow stalks, and while chanting incantations, she placed the yarrow stalks on the incense and drew three circles back and forth.

Wisps of smoke drifted into the yarrow, giving it a faint golden glow.

At the same time, Third Sister opened her hand, and half of a jade buckle appeared in her hand. She then took it and drew three circles on the incense stick.

"Did you take this from the vengeful ghost?" Shang Lu asked telepathically. "Won't the vengeful ghost be alerted without the jade clasp?"

Third Sister did not answer, but instead opened her other hand, on which was another half of a jade buckle, which seemed to be exactly the same as the first half in terms of shape and carving.

However, when Shang Lu activated his spiritual insight, he could see that there was no trace of the great traveler on this jade buckle.

However, when Third Sister put the two halves of the jade buckle together and merged them into a complete jade buckle, the residual aura of the Great Traveler immediately spread throughout the entire jade buckle, and no difference could be seen.

"What excellent craftsmanship! My third aunt is truly skillful," Shang Lu praised.

Third Sister sewed snake-scale boots for him back then. Her weapon-forging skills are not as good as Gongshu Ling's, but she can still carve out a jade buckle without any problem.

Shang Lu was immediately relieved.

Third Sister then broke the jade clasp open again, leaving only the half with a lingering breath, and used it as a guide to begin divination by divining with yarrow stalks.

Shang Lu stood guard to the side, his eyes wide, trying to discern something.

But he couldn't understand anything at all—he was completely confused when he accompanied Third Sister to the divination class, so it was impossible for him to suddenly understand now.

After watching for a while, seemingly confused but impressed, Shang Lu saw Third Sister begin to tidy up the yarrow stalks and hurriedly asked, "Is the divination finished? How was it? Did you get a result?"

Third Sister nodded: "The divination indicates: Fire illuminates the palace, water plunges into the abyss. A nobleman is trapped in a golden cage, bloodshed is hidden in the fog."

Shang Lu frowned and muttered it twice, then asked, "What does it mean?"

"You didn't solve it?" Third Sister asked back.

"No." Shang Lu shook his head.

"Then why are you reciting it with such a swaying head?"

Third Sister rolled her eyes at him, then explained: "The first sentence, 'Li Huo,' represents a place of light and nobility, and with the addition of 'palace,' it refers to the royal palace! The next three sentences all say that the noble person we are looking for is in a dangerous situation and his life is in danger at any moment."

"The palace?"

Shang Lu frowned, recalling what Steward Sun had said: that the Grand Master and the Pawnbroker had "claimed illness and declined visitors" on the two days when the Rotten and Deadly Land was destroyed.

A thought suddenly occurred to him: "Could it be that the Grand Master of Ceremonies and the Clerk were used as 'medicinal ingredients' by the enraged King of Chu?"

Fortunately, the divination text says "there is danger to life at any time," which means that he is not dead yet.

Is it possible that the King of Chu is "absorbing" his magical power?
But as long as he doesn't die and the King of Chu doesn't make the "human elixir," there's still a chance.

However, the Chu King's palace is heavily guarded, and it certainly wouldn't be as easy to sneak into as the Imperial Guard's office.

Shang Lu thought and thought, but couldn't come up with a good solution.

Just then, Third Sister finished tidying up, and he prepared to wipe away the incense that had not yet burned out on the table and rush back to discuss with Zishu Xunshou and the others.

Before he could even raise his hand, the incense he had offered in the incense burner vanished without a trace.

"what?"

Shang Lu was taken aback, but then he realized that Hou Tu Niangniang must have taken the incense away to enjoy it slowly.

Since the Earth Goddess herself took care of the aftermath, Shang Lu naturally had nothing to worry about. He immediately bowed, took his leave, and departed.

When he returned to the fur shop and entered the secret realm within the painting, Zishu Xunshou, Steward Sun, Lü Yang, and others had been waiting there for quite some time.

"So, did you get any results today?"

As soon as the rat on patrol saw him, it couldn't wait to ask.

"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

Shang Lu clasped his hands in a fist and bow, and recounted the series of findings that Third Sister had discovered:

"The courtyard is empty, there's no one there. It's just a ghost that's transformed into the appearance of Master Xing and his group! Master Xing and his group aren't in the Xingren Office at all, they're in the Chu King's Palace!"

These words were like a thunderclap, leaving Zishu Xunshou and Steward Sun and the others dumbfounded.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Zi Shu Xun Shou stared intently at Shang Lu and asked with piercing eyes, "It's one thing if the people in the villa are ghosts in disguise. But where did you get the information that Da Xing Ren and the others are in the Chu King's palace?"

"It came from divination."

Shang Lu told the truth, but did not mention San Niang.

He spread his hands, revealing half of the jade buckle belonging to the Great Traveler: "In the witch temple, with the help of the Earth Goddess, this half of the jade buckle was used as a guide to divine this result. The divination text says: 'Fire of Li illuminates the palace, water of Kan sinks into the abyss. Noblemen are trapped in golden cages, bloodshed is hidden in the fog.'"

Zishu Xunshou reached out and took half of the jade buckle, rubbed it in his hand, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed the jade buckle of the Great Traveler, and there is still his residual aura on it."

Steward Sun pondered the divination text: "Analyzing the text, it does indeed point directly to the Chu King's palace. However, the Chu King must have made meticulous arrangements to conceal the whereabouts of the Grand Master and his companions. Is the divination result accurate? Could it be a trap deliberately set by the Chu King to lure us into a snare?"

The Rat on its hunt also had this concern.

However, he quickly remembered Shang Lu's ability to communicate with and invoke the gods, and asked seriously, "During the divination, did you really ask the Goddess Houtu for help?"

"I really invited him." Shang Lu nodded.

Cheng Ren interjected at this moment: "Everything Shang Wuchang said is true."

Of course it's true, Shang Lu is telling the truth. He did indeed ask Houtu Niangniang for help, but as for divination... he didn't say he did it himself.

"Can you tell the difference between truth and falsehood? Can you tell whether the Grand Master and his companions are in the Chu King's palace?" Steward Sun asked hurriedly.

Cheng Ren shook his head with a wry smile: "I can only tell that what Shang Wuchang said is true. But I can't be sure whether the divination is true."

"We need to find someone to help us find out."

The Rat, stroking his beard, said, "The Chu King's palace is so large; we must first determine where the Grand Master and the others are being held before we can devise a rescue plan!"

Steward Sun was taken aback upon hearing this. Did Zi Shu's words about the hunting expedition mean that he believed in Shang Lu's divination results?

He couldn't help but glance at Shang Lu, secretly marveling at his abilities.

"How about... asking the prince of Chu for help?" Shang Lu suggested. He had been thinking about this matter on his way back and had actually thought of someone.

Zishu Xunshou immediately understood his meaning: "Are you talking about the Chu prince who appeared in 'Baiyujing'?"

Shang Lu nodded: "It's him!"

The Rat Patrol pondered, "That person does have something on us, but..."

Shang Lu continued, "We just don't know which Chu prince he is."

“That’s right.” Zishu Xunshou sighed, but quickly continued his analysis: “Among the princes of Chu, the eldest prince has the highest prestige, the strongest power, and the oldest age… If the King of Chu really dies, he is the most likely to inherit the throne!”

The Rat, on his hunting expedition, was also decisive, immediately making a decision: "Regardless of whether it's him or not, I'll go meet him tomorrow and sound him out!"

He then said to Shang Lu, "Since the Grand Master and the others aren't at the Public Security Bureau, there's no need for us to go back and act like subservient fools."

Pointing to the dazed-looking Feng Ping and Pan Sheng, he asked Xu Zhen and the Yin-Pan Master, "Can you help them recover sooner?"

"Yes!" Xu Zhen and the Judge of the Underworld answered in unison.

“Alright!” Zishu Xunshou immediately made arrangements: “Let them both regain consciousness first thing tomorrow morning, erase their memories related to us, and then add today’s memories back to them. Shanglu and I will tell you what we did today. Let’s get started now. After we’re done, we’ll take advantage of the night fog to send them home.”

The judge, Yin Tong, accepted the order with his hands clasped and immediately carried out the instructions given by the Rat on his patrol.

About an hour later, Shang Lu and Zi Shu once again entered the night fog, each carrying a person on their shoulders.

It was the next day in a blink of an eye.

Before Zishu could find an opportunity to investigate the background of the eldest prince of Chu, he heard some astonishing news.

"The eldest son colluded with the Ba people, leading to the defeat at the front. He was imprisoned and questioned this morning!"

This unexpected news not only shocked Zishu Xunshou, but also left Shang Lu and the others looking at each other in disbelief.

I was just about to ask the eldest son for help when he was kidnapped?

Is it such a coincidence?
Are we a book of death warrants? Whoever we seek will die?

Or is someone watching our every move?
(My whole body aches today... even my neck hurts from playing soccer.)
(End of this chapter)