Chapter 1035: Severing the Thorn

As Princess Chunyu accompanied Meng Zhang for a leisurely stroll through the market, she introduced him to various aspects of Yin Capital.

Meng Zhang was amazed by the dazzling array of goods in the market. With his keen eyes, he identified numerous precious materials unique to the Netherworld. However, there were even more valuable materials that he couldn't recognize.

Having operated in the Netherworld for many years, the Dali Dynasty had a high level of development here. When it came to familiarity with various aspects of the Netherworld, even the Holy Land Sects might not surpass them.

Both Meng Zhang's personal knowledge and the insights of the Taiyi Sect during its prime were quite limited regarding the Netherworld.

Princess Chunyu casually introduced Meng Zhang to a few materials but swiftly shifted the topic to other matters.

Many valuable pieces of knowledge were not shared freely, even with her.

Acquiring knowledge about the Netherworld wasn't easy, and the Dali Dynasty had paid a significant price to gain such knowledge.

Her intention to befriend Meng Zhang wasn't an unconditional effort to win him over.

The materials Meng Zhang recognized alone, when taken back to the mortal world, would bring tremendous benefits.

Meng Zhang picked a store at random, intending to make a substantial purchase, but the shopkeeper rejected him.

Princess Chunyu quickly explained the situation.

The cultivators arriving in Yin Capital had varying degrees of authority granted by the Dali Dynasty.

Officially dispatched cultivators from the Dali Dynasty had considerable freedom to purchase without many restrictions on acquiring various materials from Yin Capital.

Large merchant families like the Great Trade Alliance and the Wonderful Pill Union also had substantial purchasing privileges.

The following tier of privileges depended on the closeness of the cultivators' relationship with the royal family and their contributions to the court. The amount of materials they were allowed to purchase varied accordingly.

Meng Zhang's level of authority was among the lowest, allowing him only to acquire a limited amount of materials for personal use but not to resell them on a large scale.

If Meng Zhang wanted to raise his level of authority, he would need to contribute more to the Dali Dynasty, such as achieving military merits.

Princess Chunyu's explanation helped Meng Zhang understand the intricacies involved.

However, Meng Zhang's primary goal for entering the Netherworld this time was to track Ouyang Jian and disrupt his plans. Purchasing specialties here was just an incidental matter.

While browsing through the market, Meng Zhang not only broadened his horizons but also purchased some Netherworld specialties when his quota was exhausted.

When Meng Zhang's quota was depleted, Princess Chunyu generously offered to use her quota to help him make further purchases if needed.

As a Primordial Spirit cultivator of the royal family, Princess Chunyu had relatively high authority. Every time she came to Yin Capital, she made full use of her privileges to acquire various Netherworld specialties. This was one of the benefits granted to the upper echelons of the royal family.

While Meng Zhang and Princess Chunyu were shopping, Shou Zheng's wisp of soul continued to carefully monitor Ouyang Jian and his companions' movements.

Ouyang Jian's group hadn't exhibited any unusual behavior and had remained in the Joyful Soul Pavilion, seldom going outside.

The only exception was when Ouyang Jian and Mo Qing, the True Monarch, had gone to the market in Yin Capital for a major purchase.

Shou Zheng's wisp of soul had followed closely behind, but it hadn't detected any abnormalities.

It was during the following noon that a Ghost Deity arrived to take over one of the monitoring positions, replacing one of the observers.

The Ghost Deities within Yin Capital were either serving the Dali Dynasty or had intricate ties with it.

It seemed that the forces covertly monitoring Ouyang Jian's group might be affiliated with the Dali Dynasty.

Meng Zhang received this information from Shou Zheng's wisp of soul through their spiritual connection just as he finished strolling through the market with Princess Chunyu and returned to the Tranquil Soul Inn.

Princess Chunyu and other members of the royal family were assigned accommodations in the inner city of Yin Capital.

After sending Meng Zhang back to the Tranquil Soul Inn, Princess Chunyu intended to handle her own affairs.Shou Zheng's wisp of soul remained hidden in the shadows, closely monitoring every move of Ouyang Jian's group. It also kept a keen eye on the replacement of the observer, observing everything clearly.

The appearance of the substitute Ghost Deity naturally didn't escape Shou Zheng's wisp of soul's attention.

Meng Zhang hesitated for a moment before deciding to take a risk.

He casually mentioned that he had taken a stroll early in the morning before dawn. At that time, Princess Chunyu hadn't arrived at the Tranquil Soul Inn yet, so he went out alone.

On his way, he noticed a Ghost Deity acting suspiciously in the vicinity. He described the appearance of that Ghost Deity in great detail, following the information provided by Shou Zheng's wisp of soul.

In the Netherworld, Ghost Deities, apart from a few special types, generally possessed power equivalent to that of human cultivators in the Primordial Spirit Initial Stage.

Meng Zhang naturally paid attention to Ghost Deities with similar strength.

Upon hearing Meng Zhang's description, Princess Chunyu's face was filled with unconcealed astonishment. She glanced at Meng Zhang with suspicion before falling silent.

From Princess Chunyu's expression, it was evident that she was well aware of the identity of that Ghost Deity.

Seeing Princess Chunyu's reaction, Meng Zhang feigned an innocent expression, as if he didn't know what was going on.

It was unclear whether Meng Zhang was skilled at acting or if Princess Chunyu was too careless, but she actually believed Meng Zhang's explanation.

Meng Zhang appeared to have no ulterior motives, merely expressing curiosity about the Ghost Deity he had encountered on the road.

After a moment of silence, Princess Chunyu cautioned Meng Zhang.

Ghost Deities were numerous in Yin Capital, each having affiliations and belonging to various departments within the city.

The Ghost Deity Meng Zhang had encountered was named Duan Ci and belonged to a special department of Yin Capital. This department was responsible for investigating spies within the city, pursuing defectors, and even hunting down rebellious Ghosts and Ghost Deities.

Duan Ci was an efficient member of this department, highly trusted by the upper echelons of Yin Capital. He was often entrusted with important tasks.

Unless Meng Zhang had urgent business, it was advisable not to casually engage with Ghost Deities like Duan Ci. It would be better to forget about the encounter altogether and refrain from mentioning it to others.

Princess Chunyu's words finally confirmed Meng Zhang's suspicion: the Cultivators and Ghost Deities secretly monitoring Ouyang Jian's group were indeed dispatched by the Dali Dynasty. Furthermore, their actions were carried out under Ba Wudi's command.

It was truly like walking on thin ice.

Ba Wudi was so mistrustful that he even assigned people to secretly monitor Ouyang Jian, despite Ouyang Jian's longstanding loyalty. This might indicate that Ba Wudi had some clues that made him wary of Ouyang Jian.

Regardless of the reasons, the fact that Ouyang Jian fell under official surveillance by the Dali Dynasty revealed that he was no longer trusted by the court.

If he was indeed plotting something sinister in Yin Capital, it wouldn't require Meng Zhang's intervention. The Ghost Deities within Yin Capital could handle him and suppress any potential threat.

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