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    Nanyang Prefecture City, inside the Prefectural Government Office.

    In the dead of night, the government office, which should have sunk into deep sleep, was brightly lit.

    Old Ding, dazed atop a flagpole, opened his eyes.

    He looked down at his colleagues from days past, pacing back and forth in fear and trepidation.

    In the distance, squads of soldiers, led by Team Leaders, carried torches and rode fast horses, dashing out the gate.

    After hanging up there for so many days, he had never seen such a lively scene.

    Listening carefully, he could faintly hear that it seemed they were looking for someone.

    Zong Tai?

    That bastard went missing?!

    Ha...

    ...

    The main hall in the inner courtyard.

    Chao Fang sat in the highest seat, looking somber.

    The long meeting table had been removed earlier.

    "Big brother, I followed the tracks of the carriage and found an empty residence in the nearby alleys."

    "There were signs of a struggle, and several holes smashed by sticks and clubs, very likely from a Soul-Calming Stake."

    "There were droplets of blood on the ground, not sure if they''re from second brother or someone else."

    Chao Fang''s brows furrowed tightly, "Who exactly is opposing us?"

    "Could it be Shangguan Ji?" Jia Xiang hesitated, "After all, he was Nanyang''s number one for twenty years. If there were any contingencies within the city..."

    "It''s not him," Chao Fang shook his head, "Forget it, you go have a look at North Market too."

    "The Soul-Calming Stake last appeared there."

    "Do whatever it takes to find Zong Tai. I want to see him alive, or his body if he''s dead!"

    "As you command!" Jia Xiang bowed with a fist, then turned and left.

    Chao Fang watched Jia Xiang''s retreating figure. His fist clenched tight beneath his sleeve.

    "Such a mistake at a crucial moment."

    "Not contributing enough in success, but always in excess when it comes to failure!" Chao Fang''s expression was cold.

    "Need to figure out a way to refine another Soul-Calming Stake..."

    ...

    North Market was sealed off by Chao Tianwang''s forces, house by house they searched, creating chaos throughout the night.

    But Chen Mu wasn''t afraid at all.

    With the Five Ghosts Bag, he casually dug out an underground space five meters below.

    Four oil lamps illuminated the cellar brightly.

    The Five Ghosts Bag quickly cycled fresh air from outside.

    Lit the incense to mask the earthy smell.

    Used two or three buckets of ice to cool it down.

    The dark, stuffy cellar was instantly transformed into a bright and comfortable large bedroom.

    Then he quietly spread the excavated soil out into the surrounding muddy alleys.

    Done!

    Hesheng Hall was searched several times for an open door, but no one noticed Chen Mu.

    He then settled down, no longer caring about the turmoil outside, sleeping soundly until dawn.

    ...

    The next day, Jie Jia gave the apprentices and workers the day off early.

    After they left, Chen Mu jumped out of the cellar and went into the kitchen to cook.

    At the dining table, eating pan-fried dumplings, Chen Mu asked, "What were those people looking for last night?"

    "It does seem quite useful, haha!"

    ...

    "Chao Tianwang has withdrawn his troops. When do we leave?" Chen Mu asked.

    Just this morning, Chao Tianwang''s men had begun to leave the city in stages.

    Chen Mu even went to watch the procession of that Chao Tianwang... well, he watched from afar using a small paper figure.

    The core group, Chao Tianwang and the twelve... eleven Heavenly Generals, had left the city early.

    By tomorrow evening at the latest, the rear supply and porter teams would also depart.

    Moreover, someone discovered that three days ago, there were no traces of evil spirits outside the city.

    Many have sneaked out of Nanyang already.

    "No rush," Jie Jia said, completely composed.

    The evil spirits might be gone, but that didn''t guarantee they wouldn''t come back. Zuming Talismans were selling like hotcakes.

    Chen Mu nodded. With the evil spirits gone and Chao Tianwang having fled, he feared nothing.

    If he hadn''t felt Nanyang was unstable, he wouldn''t have even needed to leave.

    "It seems that the positioning of that stick isn''t very accurate," Chen Mu had also come to his senses.

    "Maybe the Five Ghosts Bag blocked the detection," Chen Mu realized somewhat.

    "Then let it lie in the bag for now."

    In the following days, Chen Mu stayed inside Hesheng Hall.

    He maintained the Heavenly Serpent Breathing Technique daily to advance his proficiency.

    He slowly flipped through the dozens of books he had swindled out of the Prefectural Government Office.

    Especially the book "Bone Reading for Physiognomy."

    The more he read, the more he felt that the old, thin man, Xing Lao Liu, had definitely seen something.

    "No wonder he slipped away so quickly. A clever man indeed."

    "When I searched the Jian''an Gate before, did he also sense something was off?" Chen Mu chuckled and shook his head.

    Quite a sly old fox.

    ...

    As Chao Tianwang left and there were no more evil spirits guarding the city, many people from Nanyang Prefecture began to flee to the outskirts.

    Many also took advantage of this gap to wreak havoc.

    But just five days later, order was restored to the marketplace.

    Because Shangguan Ji had returned.

    Along with him, eight thousand armored elites of Tangshan Camp also returned.

    The wolf-like and tiger-like army quickly took control of Nanyang, methodically suppressing chaos and restoring order.

    They opened the granaries to distribute grain, issued notices to soothe the civilians,

    exempted all industries from a year''s tax, and hired laborers at high wages to repair the Inner City.

    Nanyang Prefecture City was swiftly reviving.

    ...

    In the private room on the third floor of the Fanlou Four Seas Building in North Market,

    Tu Shan was chewing on a roasted lamb leg, his hands and face covered in grease.

    Chao Fang toyed with his wine cup, looking at the red dots on the bright yellow cloth before him, and couldn''t help but sigh, "It seems it''s indeed gone."

    "Let''s hurry up and leave." Tu Shan was indifferent. "With this effort, you could have re-crafted a new one by now."

    "Alright then," Chao Fang nodded in resignation.

    "We''ll just have to look for a suitable town along the way."

    "What about the Stake?" Tu Shan asked.

    "I found a Taoist priest in his forties, in the Wandering Soul Realm, just the right fit."

    "What a pity, I wanted to be the Stake myself, stage a coup, and successfully turn the tables on you," Tu Shan said with regret. "That''s how the stories in the novellas go. It''s quite interesting."

    "Heh..." Chao Fang''s lips curled up in an unconcerned chuckle.