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Nan Mountain had been a weathly resort ever since Lyuzhou prospered, accessible only to the upper class.

Its beautiful scenery had always been coveted by the rich, but many who were privy to the truth knew that the government had intentionally designed the landscape, commissioning gardeners to meticulously craft it, making Nan Mountain appear splendid while in reality, it was an artificially created forest scene.

Master Feng seldom came here, for he was aware that various gardens here had been purposefully constructed to attract those pretentious aficionados of elegance.

Frankly speaking, the older he got, the less he was impressed.

If it was artificially built, was the view in his own backyard not pleasing to the eye?

Yet, upon returning now, he felt an enormously novel sensation!

“Is this…

Nan Mountain?”

Many scholars who had once resided on South Street were somewhat stunned.

They hadn’t been here in a month, and the place seemed quite different from what they remembered!

In the twilight’s lingering light, the entire mountain forest looked as though it had been washed.

The grass and trees were bursting with life, the air sweet and pure—breathing it in could make one feel indescribably comfortable, as if cleansed.

The trees in the mountain were disorderly, lacking the manicured beauty they had after construction, but this very wildness revealed a more natural splendor.

The occasional sighting of white deer added an animated grace.

In an instant, numerous scholars were filled with poetic inspiration, as countless beautiful lines sprang to mind, and they rushed to jot down this hard-won muse on paper.

Ordinary people didn’t share the literary crowd’s flowery sentiments; they simply found the scenery before them stunning, and the air made their whole bodies feel at ease.

The most astonished, however, were the sorcerers in hiding!

They could distinctly feel that the air here had a significant soothing effect on the mind.

As sorcerers, their spirits were most prone to fatigue, and oftentimes, due to their own techniques and spiritual power, they needed a long time at night to enter meditation.

But the air here immediately calmed their minds, and they faintly sensed that at this moment, should they meditate, they might enter a state of focus instantly!

This Nan Mountain in Lyuzhou…

was actually such a treasure?

“Magistrate of Lyuzhou, I seek an audience with the mountain spirit!”

Chen Qing stood and gave a slight bow, and the next second, the entire forest seemed to come to life, quivering faintly.

Everyone looked around in surprise, as they could feel as though something was examining them.

It was an indescribable sensation, as if the trees, the rocks, the white deer, and the spiritual birds, all seemed to be sentient, observing everyone present.

“Your honor is too kind…”

A sound as gentle as flowing water resonated, a streak of blue light flashed across the sky, followed by a huge spiritual bird enveloped in azure mist, its phantom suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

This breathtakingly beautiful bird was so magnificent that even the most erudite scholars could not find the words to praise it aptly.

“Ordinary mortal Feng Haonian bows before the mountain spirit!”

Whether moved by emotion or subdued by the mountain spirit’s aura, several deeply sentimental scholars started to prostrate in reverence.

Seeing these normally haughty scholars behaving thus, all the onlooking traders dared not remain standing; they followed suit, paying their respects.

Witnessing this result, Chen Qing revealed a satisfied smile.

The mountain spirit could merge with the natural world, revealing the mountain’s sublime beauty, which was most capable of resonating with the hearts of these scholars.

They say Confucians do not believe in spirits, but in this world, Confucians are in an awkward position.

They are aware of demons but only understand them superficially, not as comprehensively as sorcerers do, yet they know more than ordinary people.

Often, such individuals are the easiest to deceive.

With them leading the way, the remaining traders would naturally follow blindly.

As for those still standing…

Chen Qing took a look, his gaze deep.

Chen Ying could be excused; she was an academic commissioner sent by the Emperor to assist, nominally still an education official of Lyuzhou.

The others…

where did they come from?

The three sorcerers from the Shen Family, originally concealed in the crowd, frowned deeply.

They certainly did not wish to worship like these commoners, but to be exposed so easily was rather vexing.

“What brings you here, your honor?”

The voice of the Spiritual Bird was refreshing, touching to the soul, and ineffably comforting.

Chen Qing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, “My subjects have been harmed by a demon, and I beseech the mountain spirit for healing assistance!”

The Azure Bird nodded slightly upon hearing this, turning to look at the traders kneeling in the front row, “These are but some insect eggs, nothing of great urgency.”

As these words were uttered, the traders began to weep bitterly, bowing and pleading, “We beg the mountain spirit to lend aid.

We shall erect a temple and create a statue for you, praying and worshipping every day!”

“Foolishness!” Master Feng immediately scolded, “How dare you profane a mountain spirit with your vulgar gold and silver?”

Chen Qing and the Azure Bird both twitched slightly…

“It’s no bother…” said the Azure Bird as it flew down to stand before the people, casting a warm gaze upon the tearful men, “Do you understand that once a vow is made to a deity, it cannot be retracted, else calamity shall befall you?”

Originally, the traders were mortified by Master Feng’s rebuke; they felt they deserved death for attempting to bribe a mountain spirit with coarse gold and silver.

But now, hearing the words of the spirit, they were taken aback.

The next second, they swiftly responded, kneeling even more fervently, “We shall never renege!”

Master Feng and the others were dumbfounded.

Could it be…

that the jocular saying ‘money can commune with gods’ was actually true?

“Good!” the Azure Bird nodded its head, and in the next instant, the entire forest trembled slightly.

Then, streams of white vapor rose from the flowing mountain springs, turning into several drops of azure dew that floated in front of them.

Upon the appearance of that object, all the sorcerers, including Chen Ying, couldn’t help but step forward a few steps, driven by their instinct!

They could clearly feel that the dew had extremely powerful nourishing effects on their bodies!

Sorcerer Families all have their own secret Spiritual Medicines for enhancing physique and calming the spirit sea, but even the best Spiritual Medicine from their families didn’t have the effect of making the body crave it so much just by looking at it!

“How dare you!”

Chen Qing stepped in front of them and looked towards all the sorcerers with an extremely stern expression, “Back off!!”

“My lord!” Though the sorcerers dared not assault an official in public, they suppressed their desires and bowed, saying, “We are from the Shen Family of Jiangnan, we ask that you, Sir…”

“Back off!!”

Chen Qing repeated himself, his tone icy cold, leaving no room for negotiation!

Seeing this, the faces of the three sorcerers turned extremely dark.

Was this mere Magistrate really so arrogant?

Did he not know the status of the Shen Family in Jiangnan?

Even when the Emperor of the new dynasty invited the Elders from their family to assist in matters, he did so with the utmost courtesy!

Initially, they did not want to take action, but now it seemed a lesson was in order!

With this thought, the technique wheels in the eyes of the three men turned, and a chilly, spine-tingling aura instantly surged towards Chen Qing.

They didn’t plan to do much, just to use their Spiritual Power to teach this arrogant new Magistrate a lesson.

But the moment this idea occurred, the consequences became quite serious…

No sooner had the chilly Spiritual Power left their bodies than the entire forest suddenly stirred.

The surroundings, once so gentle, became unbearably heavy, filled with boundless anger!

The three only felt dizzy in the head and suddenly turned pale as golden paper, spitting out a mouthful of black blood as they staggered backwards.

Chen Qing almost laughed at this scene, subtly gesturing to Ghost Doll in the distance not to take action.

What a trio of fools…

Divinities govern the laws of a domain, their mighty power immense.

Except for a few formidable beings, they are beyond the reach of any individual’s Spiritual Power.

It’s just that lower divinities have difficulty summoning such mighty power.

The Azure Bird, freshly bestowed, could mobilize less than one ten-thousandth of Nan Mountain’s Spiritual Power.

If it really took action, it might not even be able to defeat a Ninth Rank sorcerer.

But if you dare to detach your soul, that’s a different matter!

In the world of souls, divinities are true gods, and the difference in their power compared to ordinary souls is like that between a firefly and the bright moon.

Not to mention these sorcerers of at most Fifth Rank, even a Super First Rank sorcerer like Master Feng, who is nearly undergoing Spirit Transformation, would be severely punished should they dare to detach their soul!

Chen Qing could roughly understand their intentions.

In the early days of the initial test version of the game, before the advent of the path of the gods, many sorcerer players also used soul detachment to probe the levels of others, especially high-level sorcerers who directly suppress lower-level sorcerers with their soul bodies for a sense of overwhelming superiority.

It was the happiest version for sorcerers, where high-level ones could leave their body for dozens of miles, look down upon the capital, tease martial artists, peep at various NPC bathing, doing all sorts of evil deeds.

But ever since the path of the gods was updated, countless sorcerers hit walls.

Some were suppressed by mountain gods, some detained by the underworld authorities, often broadcasting desperate pleas for help on the world channel with heavy rewards…

These three NPCs look like they have not yet been roughed up by the version’s beating!

Suppressing a smile, Chen Qing tried to appear as dignified as possible and spoke with a heavy voice, “How audacious, to dare to attack an official?

Seize them!!”

The government officers, mystified by the situation but hearing their superior command to seize the culprits, did not hesitate.

They went forward and beat the spiritually wounded sorcerers with punches and kicks, then dislocated their arms and took them into custody.

The young sorcerers of the Shen Family, pampered since childhood, had never suffered such a beating.

They screamed miserably like slaughtered pigs, cursing loudly, and even threatened that the Shen Family would never let this go…

Chen Ying watched, dumbfounded.

She hadn’t grasped what had happened.

She had planned to stop them the moment the sorcerers detached their souls, but as soon as her soul prepared to leave her body, she felt a terrifying pressure and instinctively shrank back!

Now, seeing the miserable state of the Shen Family sorcerers, she was secretly glad she hadn’t acted rashly.

Otherwise…

with her soul damaged, her very foundation might have been shaken…

Filled with fear, her look towards Chen Qing grew even more perplexed.

This scholar had such negligible Spiritual Power, but without moving a finger, he suppressed three sorcerers.

She had observed these three sorcerers just now; each had rich Spiritual Power, starting at least at Fifth Rank, obviously direct heirs of the Shen Family.

Without using any technique, he had instantly caused their souls to be injured.

This ability was something she feared even her master might not possess…

How old does this Magistrate look?

Barely in his early twenties, right?

Just who is this fellow…?