Chapter 676 - 677: Present as If Absent

Chapter 676: Chapter 677: Present as If Absent

Huaze Village.

A different kind of vitality surged through this village, just like a three-year-old child opening their eyes to the world for the first time—finding everything novel, wanting to do everything, wanting to taste everything.

Zheng Zhaoling concealed herself, passing through unfinished alleys, watching the genuine smiles on people’s faces. Those smiles seemed to understand their own path forward.

No more worries, no looking back.

As if they knew that as long as they moved forward, happiness would inevitably greet them.

Zheng Zhaoling’s footsteps gradually slowed. She stood before Huaze Village’s god shrine.

This shrine was not like the bustling shrines in other villages she had visited.

The shrines in other villages were truly filled with drifting incense smoke. Villagers crowded before the shrines, scrambling to insert their incense sticks into the burner.

As if being slow meant being less devout.

The drifting smoke and fragrant dust formed thick clouds that made the villagers unable to open their eyes. Yet they dared not step back, only daring to push forward.

The incense smoke never paused for a moment.

Compared to the grand scenes at other shrines, this one was extremely quiet.

No villagers held incense offerings. Only a few craftsmen were carving something along the shrine’s outer walls.

Several red-background, black-character notices were posted beside the shrine’s main door.

Zheng Zhaoling’s gaze fell on them, and she naturally saw what was written on the notices.

Huaze Village’s newly established regulations.

Zheng Zhaoling read the notices, her brows furrowed on the first reading, then relaxing on the second.

She didn’t know how many times she had read them.

But in the end, she could only sigh lightly.

They were well written, but implementing them was somewhat fantastical. This was clearly overreaching. How could any demon truly follow these regulations?

Zheng Zhaoling glanced and understood what the craftsmen were doing—they were carving every word from the notices onto the shrine’s walls.

As if to say: as long as the shrine stands, these regulations are in effect. They won’t be canceled just because the paper yellows or the ink fades.

That was quite a skillful way of capturing people’s hearts.

Zheng Zhaoling narrowed her eyes slightly, then stepped into the shrine.

The first thing that caught her eye was a desk. Next to it stood a young man writing.

The young man had a solemn temperament, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze focused in thought as he held a brush and wrote something.

But the next moment, the spiritual sword at his waist, tightly wrapped in its scabbard, suddenly emitted a fluctuation of spiritual energy, as if reminding him of something.

"What’s wrong, Uncle? I’m thinking."

The young man’s solemn temperament instantly dissipated, replaced by a completely different yet intertwined carefree state. There was also a hint of helplessness in his words.

Zheng Zhaoling’s gaze swept over him. She confirmed that the young man before her was at the Golden Core realm and was genuinely human. She also understood that the spiritual treasure at his waist had detected her concealed presence.

But his aura carried no evil cultivator’s presence. Instead, it was quite upright. He cultivated orthodox Daoist methods.

A Golden Core cultivation was also enough to see through her concealment technique face-to-face, even if he couldn’t sense her aura.

Was he someone sent by another immortal sect?

Was it Chu Xingchen, or someone else seeking benefits?

Zheng Zhaoling dispelled her technique and asked calmly:

"Was it you who gave this god the ideas?"

Hearing the sudden voice, Cui Hao’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked up and shouted sternly:

"Uncle, save me!"

After these words fell, Wanban did not unsheath.

Zheng Zhaoling tilted her head slightly, looking at Cui Hao with confusion, as if wondering what performance art he was putting on.

Cui Hao waited a moment, his expression growing awkward. He also understood that the person before him currently had no killing intent toward him. Otherwise, Uncle Wanban would never truly ignore him.

Zheng Zhaoling asked again:

"Was it you who gave this god the ideas?"

Cui Hao smiled awkwardly. "You mean those regulations?"

Zheng Zhaoling nodded gently.

"I drafted them." Cui Hao nodded lightly.

Zheng Zhaoling narrowed her eyes at these words:

"What’s the purpose? To attract people from other villages to Huaze Village?"

Cui Hao also nodded straightforwardly. "Currently, yes."

Zheng Zhaoling took a light step forward.

She hadn’t expected that the first person she would kill in Yunmeng Marsh wouldn’t be a demon, but a human.

"But the real purpose is to plant a seed of hope."

Cui Hao continued immediately from his previous sentence. Then he looked down at his waist in confusion.

Why had Uncle Wanban suddenly jumped and then gone still?

Zheng Zhaoling asked again: "A seed?"

Cui Hao smiled lightly at these words and gestured:

"A guest is a guest, it’s true. But you should also introduce yourself."

Zheng Zhaoling smiled lightly. "I don’t even know who you are, and you want me to introduce myself? Shouldn’t you go first?"

"Me?" Cui Hao thought for a moment, patted Uncle Wanban at his waist, and slowly said, "A warm-hearted passing good Samaritan."

"Then I am too." Zheng Zhaoling wasn’t annoyed. She went along with Cui Hao’s words.

"Then I suppose I’m not alone on this path." Cui Hao smiled. "I always knew there were plenty of good-hearted people in this world."

Zheng Zhaoling looked at Cui Hao, who showed no suspicion at all, and asked in a strange tone:

"Aren’t you suspicious of me?"

Cui Hao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Since there’s one good Samaritan, naturally there will be a next one. Isn’t it normal to encounter one?"

Zheng Zhaoling was somewhat at a loss for words.

For some reason, she felt this person was somewhat like Chu Xingchen.

A kind of unusual jumpiness, yet somehow reasonable. Untraceable, yet he had accomplished what he wanted.

Had she been out of the world for too long?

Were these unusual people now the norm?

Or was it truly as they said—heroes throughout the world were as numerous as carp crossing the river, everywhere?

Cui Hao made no concealment. He reached out and invited Zheng Zhaoling to look at the regulations he had drafted:

"Fellow Daoist, take a look and offer suggestions. Gathering wisdom is always good. Yunmeng Marsh’s customs are different. Some regulations from outside can’t be copied directly—they need local adaptation to be more easily accepted."

Zheng Zhaoling looked and asked at the same time:

"I’ll assume you haven’t become a human traitor. But doing this, attracting so many people—will the other great demons agree?"

"When the time comes, it’ll be another bloodbath. Who knows how many will lose their lives."

"The demons here have low cultivation and are under your control, willing to work like cattle and dogs. But other demons won’t follow your regulations."

"No matter how well you draft your regulations, what’s the point?"

Cui Hao was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Do you know that Zheng Zhaoling has come to Yunmeng Marsh?"

Zheng Zhaoling was stunned at these words. She looked at Cui Hao strangely and asked:

"I know. So what?"

Cui Hao said earnestly: "Normally, this would be inviting disaster. But if she’s in Yunmeng Marsh, these great demons won’t dare to act rashly. Then it won’t be inviting disaster."

"How so?" Zheng Zhaoling’s tone was puzzled. She was truly confused at this point.

Cui Hao spoke frankly: "With Zheng Zhaoling here, they won’t dare to oppress humans. If they can’t tolerate believers drifting away, they’ll have to act according to the regulations I drafted—competing and attracting each other."

Zheng Zhaoling asked again: "After she leaves, everything returns to normal. What’s the difference?"

Cui Hao reached out, gesturing for Zheng Zhaoling to look outside.

Zheng Zhaoling’s gaze turned, looking at the bustling scene outside.

Cui Hao’s calm voice also came:

"It’s different. Before, no one told them that in the future they could have hope by relying on themselves, without worshipping gods and heaven."

"And no one told them that the best way for gods to exist is—"

"Present as if absent."

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