Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 704 Traps Everywhere
"Boss, what's wrong?"

Du Feng noticed the subtle change in Shang Lu's expression and immediately spurred his horse forward, asking in a low voice.

They are now using the identity of a medicinal herb caravan from the Jin family of Baiyi County.

Shang Lu was a member of the Jin family and the head of the caravan, while Du Feng and the others were his partners, so their titles naturally changed accordingly.

They've done similar things many times before, so they won't leave any trace.

“We are being watched.”

Shang Lu answered Du Feng with telepathy without moving his lips, and also transmitted the words to the other members of the team.

Everyone here is a seasoned veteran, and although they felt a chill run down their spines, none of them showed any weakness on the surface.

"Exposed?"

Bai Lingxu asked telepathically, his expression unchanged, but his voice carried a hint of anxiety and tension.

Shang Lu did not answer, but instead spurred his horse forward, raising his senses to the maximum.

The feeling of unease and discomfort quickly disappeared, and he breathed a sigh of relief, transmitting his voice to the others: "Don't worry, we haven't been exposed yet. There must be spies hiding in this place, constantly monitoring everyone who approaches Wushan."

He had experienced a similar situation in the capital of the State of Chu.

The difference is that the Chu king used a type of shamanic beast with multiple eyes in his capital. However, the "eyes" around Mount Wu do not resemble beasts, but rather something like ghosts or spirits.

Shang Lusi said, "If these 'eyes' are truly ghosts and spirits, it's not a bad thing."

He possessed not only the token of the underworld messengers but also the mark of the local earth god. If the reliance of the King of Ba's henchmen was indeed on ghosts and spirits, it would be perfect for him.

Bai Lingxu, having heard that there were spies around, also sent a telepathic warning to everyone: "Be alert, don't give anything away."

Although these informants won't be watching them all the time, they can't afford to be complacent.

No one nodded or made a sound; they remained as usual, as if they hadn't heard Shang Lu and Bai Lingxu's telepathic communication.

This reaction made Shang Lu and Bai Lingxu nod secretly, both very satisfied.

Soon the group arrived at the Goddess Town at the foot of Wushan Mountain.

Although it is called a town, its size and prosperity surpass many county towns.

The town is named "Goddess" because, according to legend, the Goddess of Wushan once appeared here to protect and save the people.

To express their gratitude, the people changed the town's name and built shrines to the goddess in several places throughout the town.

Even the witch temple in Shennv Town is dedicated to the Goddess of Wushan, unlike other witch temples in Ba State, which are dedicated to the Goddess Houtu.

When the group arrived at Goddess Town, it was still early, but it was too late to climb Mount Wu.

Wushan only lowers the hanging baskets to allow people to enter and exit during the period from Chenshi (7-9 AM) to Shenshi (3-5 PM) each day.

At other times, unless special permission is granted, approaching Wushan will trigger the mountain-protecting formation, instantly tearing it to pieces.

Although it was not yet Shen Shi (3-5 PM), by the time Shang Lu and the others arrived at the foot of Wushan Mountain, they would have definitely missed the appointed time.

Rather than making a wasted trip, it's better to stay overnight in Goddess Town.

Moreover, this place is the last stop before entering Wushan. Not only are there many people, but they are also a mixed bag, making it a good place to gather information.

Upon arriving in Shennv Town, Shang Lu and his group found a warehouse. When they checked in, in addition to the warehouse's servants, there was also a local constable who carried a booklet. He not only checked and registered their identity information but also inspected the goods they brought.

Fortunately, Shang Lu and his group put on a full show and were very well prepared, with plenty of medicinal herbs packed in their horseback packs.

Some of these medicinal herbs came from the harvest that Pokeweed brought from the states of Jiang and Chu, while others were purchased along the way.

When questioned by the constables, Shang Lu said, "We are medicinal herb merchants from the Jin family of Baiyi County. We heard that a nobleman in the court has recently fallen ill, so we brought some of our best medicines to present to him."

"Your Jin family certainly has excellent connections," the constable sneered, showing no suspicion.

It was no surprise that the news of King Ba and the three dukes falling ill had already spread throughout Wushan and even reached other places, reaching the ears of local powerful families.

After the constable finished registering, he closed the booklet in his hand and grumbled, "However, it won't be so easy for you to offer medicine to the nobleman."

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Shang Lu asked hurriedly, grabbing the constable's hand and stuffing some loose silver into his hand.

The constable weighed it in his hand for a few moments, but simply shook his head: "It's not easy."

Shang Lu cursed the man's greed inwardly, then stuffed a few more pieces of silver into his hand, finally satisfying him. He whispered, "Recently, quite a few herbal medicine merchants have been going to Wushan, all saying they want to send medicine to high-ranking officials in the court. Even if you go, who knows how long you'll have to wait to receive your medicine! If your medicine can outperform others, that's fine. But if it can't, even if you do receive your medicine, the high-ranking officials won't appreciate your kindness."

The speaker is unintentional and the listener is interested.

Shang Lu immediately gleaned some information from that sentence.

But he didn't reveal his true colors, instead feigning surprise and astonishment: "We thought we were quick enough to act after receiving the news, but we didn't expect someone to be even faster than us!"

Then, he sighed helplessly, "Even if the important person won't appreciate it, we still have to send this medicine. Otherwise, if other medicine merchants have already sent their medicines and we haven't, how will we survive in the future?"

"That's true."

The constable nodded, a sense of sympathy unexpectedly creeping into his heart. He sighed, "They won't remember who sent what, but they'll definitely remember who didn't."

As they were talking, another new lodger entered the warehouse, and the constable immediately abandoned Shang Lu and went to greet him with his servant.

The group quickly led their horses, loaded with medicine, to a small courtyard they had rented.

Upon entering the courtyard, Bai Lingxu immediately began a careful inspection.

In fact, Third Sister had already inspected the courtyard once, but Shang Lu did not stop her.

After Bai Lingxu finished his inspection, he nodded to Shang Lu to indicate that there were no problems. Only after Shang Lu took out the "Unlistenable" remnant spirit and the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping and spying did Bai Lingxu speak.

His first words stunned Du Feng, Tu Bi, and the others.

"We must change our identity; we can't go to Wushan as merchants anymore!"

"Senior Brother Bai and I are thinking the same thing," Shang Lu nodded.

Du Feng and Tu Bi exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes, and asked, "Why is that? Have we given ourselves away?"

"It hasn't leaked yet, but it'll be soon."

Shang Lu said in a low voice, "Wei Wu hides his identity and likes to disguise himself as a merchant. When there are few people, he acts as a peddler. When there are many people, he acts as a merchant caravan of aristocratic families or sects like ours."

The constable just now said that many medicine merchants have been going to Wushan recently. Among them, there must be some genuine medicine merchants, but there are also definitely some, like us, who have sensed something amiss and are disguised as merchants, wanting to investigate after entering Wushan before taking action!
This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but don't forget that King Ba has already captured a group of shamans. Whether it was torture or soul-searching, he must have known the shamans' usual methods.

If we continue to go to Wushan posing as merchants, it will be tantamount to walking into a trap.

At this point, Shang Lu turned around and glanced outside the courtyard: "Perhaps we're already being watched!"

Du Feng and the others' expressions changed after hearing Shang Lu's analysis.

"So what should we do now?" Du Feng asked. Tu Bi reached for the weapon hidden on the horse's back.

"In that case, why are we wasting our time here? Let's fight our way out, shake off the surveillance, change our identities, and then head to Wushan."

"Not urgent."

Bai Lingxu hurriedly held Tu Bi down: "Let's see what they're going to do first. This is also an opportunity for us."

Shang Lu nodded and said, "We're using the identities of medicine merchants sent by the Jin family. Although the Jin family doesn't have much power in the court, they are still a newly emerging first-class family in Baiyi County. The people watching us shouldn't act rashly before they verify our identities. But we can't take chances. From now on, everyone be on high alert and ready to fight at any time!"

“That’s right!” Bai Lingxu nodded in agreement, then solemnly said, “Their probing will come soon, at the latest, no later than tonight.”

Before he could finish speaking, Shang Lu said with a cold laugh, "They've already arrived!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

Then Shang Lu took out the Impermanence Token from his bosom.

Under the illusionary effect of the Ice Crystal Blue Lotus, the token changed its appearance, becoming completely unlike its true form. This was to prevent King Ba's subordinates from recognizing it.

At this moment, the Impermanence Token trembled slightly in Shang Lu's hand.

If it weren't for the several purification talismans wrapped around the Impermanence Decree, sealing and suppressing it, it probably wouldn't just be trembling slightly, but would be releasing a wave of magical energy.

"What's going on here?"

Du Feng and the others asked in surprise, and immediately spread out to monitor their surroundings, preparing for battle.

Shang Lu was also surprised: "They actually possess something that can forcibly trigger the response of the Impermanence Decree!"

All the tokens issued by Wei Wu were made by himself, but the materials were definitely provided by the imperial court.

It seems that either the materials provided by King Ba were suspicious, or the person who forged these tokens fell into King Ba's hands, had his soul searched and memories extracted, and learned the method of forging the Guardian Witch Token. As a result, he forged such a strange witch artifact, and the person called Guardian Witch has nowhere to hide.

If Shang Lu hadn't been prepared from the start, not only wrapping the Impermanence Decree with a Purification Talisman but also adding layers of protection, it would probably have been exposed by now.

This is not a good thing for the other guardian spirits.

But for Shang Lu and his group, it wasn't bad.

Since the other party has not received a response to the Impermanence Decree, they will certainly no longer suspect them.

From now on, it shouldn't matter whether or not one changes their identity.

A moment later, the Impermanence Token stopped trembling, and Shang Lu knew that the other party's test had ended.

Relieved, Shang Lu instructed, "Do what you're supposed to do, and don't give anything away. Senior Brother Bai, let's go out for a walk and see if we can find out anything."

"Okay." Bai Lingxu nodded, leaving Zhu Quan, Du Feng and the others behind, and walked out of the courtyard with Shang Lu.

As they walked into the main hall of the warehouse, Shang Lu and Bai Lingxu couldn't discern anyone who seemed to be spying on or monitoring them.

Either the Pokeweed's Impermanence Order failed to release the spirit wave of the witchcraft, leading King Ba's henchmen to believe they were safe and thus withdraw.

Either these people are extremely well hidden, so much so that neither Shang Lu nor Bai Lingxu could detect them.

The shop assistant, however, greeted him with a smile and asked, "Boss Jin, where are you headed?"

"Do you have any fun or exciting places to go around here?" Shang Lu asked with a knowing look, while Bai Lingxu took out a few copper coins and stuffed them into the servant's hand.

The waiter became even more enthusiastic and introduced, "Boss Jin, you've come to the right person. Once you leave the warehouse, turn right all the way, cross the bridge, and then turn left. That's a lively and fun place, brightly lit and open all night. Even many gentlemen from Wushan often come here to have fun."

"Is that really the case? Then I must make a trip! If I can befriend a few noble people from prestigious families, it will be worth the trip."

Shang Lu pretended to be happy, and had Bai Lingxu give the servant some money before leading him out of the warehouse.

The two appeared carefree throughout the journey, but in reality, they were secretly observing each other.

Although they still haven't discovered who is following or monitoring them.

However, with the help of San Niang, Shang Lu soon discovered that there were quite a few wizards hiding their auras in Shennv Town.

These people, disguised in all sorts of identities, blended into the crowd and were difficult to spot.

They could fool others and Shang Lu, but they couldn't fool San Niang.

They were all marked by Third Sister, making sure Shang Lu could see them clearly.

Besides these sorcerers, San Niang also marked some non-human things—such as the roof ridge beasts, the paintings on the beams and walls, and even the notices on the roadside.

It was only after she marked these things that Shang Lu, with his keen insight, noticed something amiss.

These things are all "alive".

Not only those eyes, but even those words are watching over those who have passed by.

Shang Lu instantly understood that Shennv Town, though seemingly relaxed, was actually under intense pressure.

From this point onward, King Ba's henchmen began to target the witch.

If they honestly report to the Weiwu government office, they will not take any action.

If there were any guards who seemed to have sensed something, they would probably act immediately to capture them and prevent them from escaping.

Shang Lu understood all this and was even more cautious. At the same time, he was somewhat surprised that San Niang's eyesight had become so sharp, even surpassing his own.

It seems that during this time, Third Sister has learned the witchcraft and secret arts she captured, and has gained many new skills.

This was a good thing for Shang Lu, and it made him happy.

At the same time, the situation in Goddess Town also made him change his strategy.

He had originally planned to inquire about information in the bustling and prosperous parts of town, but this was the scene he found in Goddess Town.

Then the best course of action is to listen more and ask less, so as not to attract the attention of these informants.

However, in this case, the information that can be obtained will be very limited.

Just as Shang Lu was pondering whether there was a way to both avoid being seen and hear and still gather information, he suddenly sensed a familiar wisp of witch spirit wave.

It is the spirit wave of the impermanent command!
Shang Lu was surprised, but he didn't turn his head. He just glanced at the direction of Wu Xunlingbo out of the corner of his eye and saw a person dressed as a traveling merchant walking on the bluestone road of Shennv Town.

The faint spiritual energy was emanating from him, but he was completely unaware of it.

Pokeweed did not step forward to remind them.

He remained impassive, secretly observing the man and the spies lurking around him, wondering, "Is he a fellow follower of the Wei Wu? Or is he bait planted by King Ba's henchmen?"

(End of this chapter)