Upon entering the city, Yuan Ming discovered that the situation inside was even more severe than he had imagined: corpses lay everywhere along the streets and alleyways, some already decaying and emitting a foul stench.

Along the way, he encountered two medical halls and a government office, all piled high with corpses, a horrifying sight.

In the city, the dead outnumbered the living.

Yuan Ming had brought medicine to eradicate the epidemic, originally intending to pour it into the well water for the townspeople to drink and be cured. However, given the current situation, that was naturally impossible.

With his power alone, it was also impossible to go around administering the medicine for treatment.

Therefore, Yuan Ming found a residence, briefly cleaned up the corpses inside, and then took out the incense-making materials he had bought earlier and began to busy himself.

By the time evening came, he had already produced several sticks of pale yellow incense.

The basic material for these incense sticks was the same as that used for the Fog Incense, but he had added some epidemic-eradicating medicinal powder and combined it with some special refining techniques written in the Spiritual Incense Secret Manual.

After the Epidemic Eradication Incense was made, Yuan Ming took it to an open space in the center of Hekou Town and pointed at his forehead.

Four soul crows flew out, three of which landed on the bodies of three recently deceased corpses nearby, while the remaining one flew high above to keep watch for him.

The three corpses, after being entered by the soul crows, lit up with a faint green glow in their eyes and staggered to their feet, approaching Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming gave each of them a stick of Epidemic Eradication Incense to carry and sent them in three different directions around the town, while he himself sat in the center with the Stealing Heaven Tripod and a stick of incense inserted into it.

When the four corpses reached the appropriate positions, Yuan Ming controlled them and himself to ignite the long incense together.

Once the Epidemic Eradication Incense was lit, in just a short moment, large plumes of yellow smoke began to rise from various parts of Hekou Town and soon enveloped the entire town in thick smoke.

In the midst of the dense smoke, the townspeople, already on their last breath, believed they had succumbed to the underworld.

Given their current physical state, they had no strength to avoid it and simply ignored it.

But quite the contrary, upon inhaling the thick smoke, each of them felt revitalized, shedding their previous state of dejection, uncertain if this was merely a dying flash of vitality or if they were truly healed.

After a long time, as the thick smoke gradually dissipated, those who were still alive found themselves free of the epidemic's influence. When they could once again see their surroundings clearly and realized they were still in the town, they burst into tears of joy, and their crying echoed throughout the town.

By then, Yuan Ming had already put away the Stealing Heaven Tripod, and all four soul crows had returned to his body.

Since advancing to the Foundation Establishment, his Soul Power had greatly increased; now, even releasing all six soul crows did not burden his Soul Power too much.

After a brief period of Breathing Control, Yuan Ming recovered as usual.

As he opened his eyes, he saw that some of the recovered townspeople had started to gather around.

These people were still very weak, some needing to support each other just to stand up.

But they, having heard from a child who witnessed the entire process of Yuan Ming casting, gathered around, calling him their savior.

"Kneel in gratitude for the Immortal Master saving our lives."

It was unclear who spoke first, but immediately others followed suit.

Soon, people started shouting, "Kneel in gratitude for the Immortal Master saving our lives," and one after another, they knelt down, performing a grand gesture of kowtow towards Yuan Ming.

"You are all just recovering from a great epidemic and are still weak; do not exhaust yourselves with such gestures, but go back quickly, eat, and recuperate. You still need to take proper care of the funeral affairs of your deceased relatives—please, go back," Yuan Ming urged, albeit reluctantly.

However, more survivors began to approach and continued to bow and give thanks.

Knowing persuasion was futile, Yuan Ming swiftly slapped his Spiritual Beast Bag, released the Green Cloud Crane, and swiftly mounted it to ascend into the sky.

"He is an Immortal, truly an Immortal…"

"Thanks to the Immortal Master for saving our lives."

"We are saved!"

The excitement grew among the people on the open ground in the town.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming had no choice but to leave first.

As they watched Yuan Ming leave, the townspeople who had walked on the brink of death at Ghost Gate finally got up.

A clan elder, who had once been quite influential, suddenly spoke up to the crowd, "The Immortal asks for nothing in return and leaves after bestowing his grace. We are not an ungrateful people; we should build a shrine for the Immortal and offer incense."

"Yes, we must build a shrine for the Immortal Master! Erect a monument with his deeds!" someone immediately responded.

"Scholar Luu, are you still alive?" the clan elder, gathering his strength, called out.

"Uncle, I am still alive, still alive indeed," a scholar in the crowd immediately answered.

"Have you gotten a clear look at the appearance of the Immortal Master? When you return, draw a portrait so we can sculpt a divine statue based on it," the elder shouted.

Hearing this, Scholar Luu had some difficulty, as the Immortal Master wore a conical hat that obscured his features, but he had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

In later generations, a temple named "Epidemic Eradication Temple" appeared in Hekou Town, featuring a statue wearing a conical hat, standing atop an immortal crane. Although it wasn't officially sanctioned by the officials, it always attracted bustling crowds, with people traveling from afar and keeping the temple popular for centuries without interruption.

But that is a story for another time. Let's return to Yuan Ming, who, after this minor episode, mounted his Green Cloud Crane and left Hekou Town, continuing northward.

Along the way, he delved into the Spiritual Incense Secret Manual and found that it contained numerous formulas for incenses that could heal diseases and preserve health. Most were of mild effect to cultivators but were precious spiritual elixirs for the common folk.

Since the materials needed were very common, Yuan Ming refined some in his spare time from cultivation, improving his incense-making skills and serendipitously healing the sick and distressed he met along his journey, giving him a sense of peace and satisfaction.

During his journey, Yuan Ming finally arrived at Haiyan City, located in the northeast of Yue Country near the East Sea.

When they parted in Black Rock City, Wu Lu had mentioned he would be resting here for a while and had invited Yuan Ming to join him.

However, at that time, Yuan Ming was eager to return to Da Jin and had other plans, so he did not agree.

Now that he was in Haiyan City, he thought of visiting Wu Lu again, as he also had a favor to ask of him.

Haiyan City, named for the clear and calm 'Hai River' at its mouth, is known not only for its famous landmark, the "Wave-Struck Cliffs," but also for the grand tide seen every fifteenth day of the eighth month.

The season wasn't right, so he couldn't witness the magnificent tide.

But Yuan Ming's interest lay not in sightseeing; meeting Wu Lu would be enough.

Upon entering Haiyan City, Yuan Ming found that, despite being smaller, the city was no less prosperous than the Da Jin Capital.

Branches and tributaries of the Hai River ran through the city, enriching its water system and creating a network that formed a distinctive landscape with streets and buildings along the river.

While the customs and architectural styles of the southern parts of Yue Country still resembled those of the Southern Border, and some traces remained in the central region, Haiyan City in the north fully embraced the style of the Central Plains.

Its bustling streets were lined with architecture and tile-roofed shops, creating a lively and festively earthy atmosphere.

Upon entering the city, Yuan Ming did not immediately seek out Wu Lu but instead stopped at a pavilion to drink tea and listen to music, thoroughly relaxing himself.

When he was in Da Jin Capital, he often visited pavilions to enjoy music, sometimes even composing his own poetry and music. Though not as prolific as his paintings and tales, his compositions were still circulated in Da Jin.

In the afternoon, after a pleasant bath in the inn and changing into fresh clothes, he left to head towards the famous Sea View Cliff in the eastern part of the city.

Yuan Ming had already determined Wu Lu's whereabouts before arriving in Haiyan City, through the use of the Stealing Heaven Tripod and incense possession.

Wu Lu was residing in a cliffside inn next to Sea View Cliff, overlooking the East Sea, where the entire Haiyan City's view of the sea waves crashing against the cliffs and stirring thousands of layers of surf could be seen.

When Yuan Ming found Wu Lu, the latter was sitting on the second floor of the Sea View Tower Inn, by a window facing the sea, with a few dishes and pouring his own drinks, clearly enjoying his time immensely.

Seeing Yuan Ming seat himself opposite, Wu Lu visibly froze, evidently in disbelief.

"Brother Yuan..."

"Brother Wu Lu, you are well, I hope," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

"Brother Yuan, it's really you! What a coincidence!" Wu Lu, holding his cup, paused for a moment, suddenly filled with inexplicable joy.

This joy of "reunion after a long separation" combined with the surprise of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land" made him momentarily feel an uncanny sense of surrealness upon seeing Yuan Ming.

His emotional surge was not solely due to these feelings.

In fact, ever since deciding to visit Wu Lu, Yuan Ming had already used the Stealing Heaven Tripod to possess him three times with Black Incense, each time subtly suggesting to Wu Lu that he regarded him as a lifelong close friend.

As a result, Wu Lu sometimes thought his own spirit was troubled as he often found himself unexpectedly thinking of Yuan Ming.

However, the Black Incense made using Xuanhua Temple's incense ashes seemed somehow less effective in mental suggestion than those obtained from Liu Xin Sect, unfortunately, the incense ashes from Liu Xin Sect had already run out.

"How did you end up here?" Wu Lu asked in surprise.

"I was traveling north back to Da Jin when I encountered unexpected changes, so I detoured through Yue Country. Knowing you were here, Brother Wu Lu, how could I not meet up with you?" Yuan Ming replied with a smile.

"How did you know I was eating here?" Wu Lu asked.

"It was merely by chance. I saw this place had a nice scene, and unexpectedly found you here," Yuan Ming said.

"What happened to you on the road?" Wu Lu asked, frowning.

"Near Iron Tiger Town, I ran into some old debtors and managed to collect some interest on their debts," Yuan Ming nodded and stated.

Wu Lu closely observed Yuan Ming, his pupils suddenly shrinking in surprise, "Brother Yuan, you have completed your Foundation Establishment?"

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