Chapter 161

There had been demons in Qiuru County, and the previous Daoists of this temple had colluded with demons, so naturally, few people dared to enter.

However, poverty was ultimately more terrifying than demons and ghosts, and there were always bold people in the world, so the pots, pans, tables, chairs, and wooden stools in the temple were all gone. Fortunately, due to the suppression by the government, the doors and windows remained and hadn't all been dismantled for firewood, and quite a few tiles on the roof were left.

"It wouldn't be bad to tidy up this temple, but the predecessors left behind a bad name, so it might take some effort to manage it! However, this place is the closest to Mount Yishan and is in the city, so which junior brother wants to stay?"

The Second Third Third Shixiong scanned the courtyard and asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold wind blew through the courtyard.

But it was only weak ghosts and spirits, as faint as a candle in the wind. Perhaps they could scare timid people or collide with those who were physically weak, but for the Daoists in the courtyard, they weren't afraid even if they were left to play their tricks.

Even the fox wasn't startled in the slightest.

"It seems this temple still has predecessors who haven't left. It truly is a place that harbors filth."

The Second Third Third Shixiong turned his head to look at a tree in the corner of the wall and the dark corners of the inner room, saying this.

Then, while Lin Jue was still thinking about whether these two weak ghosts were the Daoists who had colluded with demons in the previous temple or the unwilling victims they had murdered, and whether, if they were Daoists, he should recite a manifestation spell to find them and kill them since they were hiding in the dark, the Second Third Third Shixiong had already made a judgment and waved his sleeve—

Two spiritual fires roared out.

One swept through the small tree in the corner of the wall, and the other rushed toward the inner room. Both burned with a sharp and short scream, which stopped in an instant, leaving only a faint, foul smell.

The temple was immediately clean.

That's right—

Among the many brothers in the temple, the Second Third Third Shixiong's cultivation was second only to the First Third Third Shixiong, and he specialized in alchemy. Alchemy and spiritual fire had always gone hand in hand, and this was the nemesis of ghosts and spirits.

At this moment, Lin Jue even couldn't help but feel that specializing in one type of spell like the Second Third Third Shixiong was also quite good. No matter what demons or ghosts there were, a spiritual fire would burn them all to ashes, simple and direct.

However, Lin Jue himself couldn't do it.

Specializing in one field had its advantages, and having a wide range of knowledge also had its advantages. Both had their own flaws, and the best thing was to find a balance between them.

Moreover, specializing in one field sounded simple, but it was actually not easy at all. It required being immersed in the same thing all day long, which had requirements for patience, personality, and preferences.

It was very difficult for Lin Jue to do that.

In his view, spells themselves had charm, and different spells had different charms. Since there was an opportunity, it was hard not to want to see more of them.

Then everyone continued the previous topic.

Who was willing to stay here?

Many brothers looked at the Fifth Third Third Shixiong and the Sixth Third Third Shixiong, and some also looked at the Little Xiao Xiao Shimei.

However, the Little Xiao Xiao Shimei was the most diligent. She hadn't stopped since she finished clearing the weeds and small trees, and now she was still pulling weeds in the courtyard, as if she hadn't heard what everyone said at all.

"If no one is willing, then I will stay here," the Sixth Third Third Shixiong said, knowing that this was actually a good place, so he said to them, "Thank you, brothers, for your care."

"Let's tidy up this courtyard together first."

The Second Third Third Shixiong couldn't bear to see the Little Xiao Xiao Shimei working alone, so he also started to move.

For a while, all the brothers worked together.

Some pulled out weeds, some chopped down small trees, some transported the pulled-out grass and trees away, some cleared away snakes, insects, rats, and ants, some set fires to burn the dark and damp places, and some borrowed brooms to sweep behind them.

The temple, which had been abandoned for two years, was now bustling with activity.

Just a moment ago there were ghosts, but now it was full of human vitality.

After working for half a day, it was almost decent.

Although the temple was still empty, it no longer had the cluttered and dilapidated look it had before and was now habitable. Seeing this result, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment in their hearts.

Feeling satisfied, and too lazy to cook again, they went to a restaurant in the city, ordered a few dishes, and had a big meal.

They had to thank the bandits.

Then they made do for the night in the house. The next day, they divided into several groups: some went out to buy furniture and bedding, some went out to buy pots, pans, and bowls, some went out to sell blades and long bows, and some went out to raise money.

Lin Jue and the Little Xiao Xiao Shimei were called away by the Seventh Third Third Shixiong.

There were no other thoughts; it was just to work together and help the Sixth Third Third Shixiong settle down here without reservation.

The spring sun was warm and pleasant, and the streets of Qiuru County in the morning were also very lively.

Between the buildings with white walls and black tiles, people were moving about, and the sound of hawking was endless. There was the heat and aroma of food rising. Compared to the dire situation in other provinces, this place could be considered very prosperous.

The newly appointed county magistrate was patrolling the streets. Seeing this scene, he felt both comforted and worried.

Behind him were two servants, both with long blades at their waists.

Suddenly, he heard someone walking quickly behind him.

One servant was staring at the steaming bun shop beside him, while the other servant was alert, immediately turning around with his hand on his blade. Seeing that the person coming was a clerk from the county government office, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Magistrate Gao! Magistrate Gao!"

The clerk walked over quickly, his face showing both shock and joy, and said to the magistrate: "Good news! Great good news!"

"What good news? Why are you so panicked!"

"That Monkey Mountain between our county and Danxun County—the group of bandits on the mountain was wiped out the night before last! Now, trade and travel will be peaceful!"

"Hmm?" The magistrate turned around immediately. "Is it true?"

"It's true, it's true!"

"Where did the news come from? Have you seen it yourself? Who wiped them out?" The magistrate couldn't believe it and asked several questions in a row.

"It was wiped out only last night. How could I have seen it? It's just that those bandits, besides robbing people, also captured some people to be slaves and maids on the mountain, working for them and serving their entertainment. The day before yesterday, when the bandits were wiped out, those people all ran down the mountain. Only last night did someone return to the city, and only this morning did the news arrive. I have already asked the constables in the county to take fast horses and go to investigate whether it is true."

The clerk said repeatedly, not daring to even breathe: "Knowing that this is one of Magistrate Gao's biggest headaches, I didn't dare to delay, so I specifically ran over to tell Magistrate Gao this happy news, hoping Magistrate Gao can relax a little."

The magistrate surnamed Gao, however, ignored his flattery and immediately asked sternly: "Who wiped them out? How many people? Why didn't the county receive the news?"

"It was already dark that night, and the person who came to report the news didn't see clearly either, but I heard them say..."

When the clerk said this, his expression became even more amazed, and even his eyes were shining with divine light:

"They said they only heard shouts of killing outside and saw many shadows that looked like celestial soldiers and generals. After the fight was over, the only person who came in to talk to them and let them go was one person—a Daoist priest!"

"One person? A Daoist priest?"

"Exactly!" the clerk said, not forgetting to add, "It must be a divine immortal!"

"How is that possible?"

Originally, upon hearing that the bandits on Monkey Mountain had been wiped out overnight, he was worried about whether some powerful Jianghu sect had arrived nearby, or if another group of even more powerful greenwood robbers would appear on Monkey Mountain. But just as his worries had faded, hearing that it was one person, a Daoist priest, his heart was filled with amazement and disbelief.

"I was also shocked and couldn't believe it, but this is not impossible."

The clerk explained to the magistrate:

"The magistrate might not know that the strange monkeys on Monkey Mountain were wiped out by two people before, and they even went to Danxun County to collect the reward. It was also around that time that there was a place in our county troubled by a water demon, which was wiped out by an old immortal with high Daoist arts."

"Are there really so many immortals and experts?" The magistrate didn't believe it. "When I was young, I also yearned for immortals and visited famous mountains. If there were really so many immortals and experts, why didn't I find them?"

"This... this..."

The clerk hesitated for a moment and guessed:

"This should also have to do with different places. We are very close to Mount Qiyun here, and more than three hundred miles away, there is a remote Mount Yishan. I haven't been there, but I heard from the previous magistrate that the old immortal who wiped out the water demon came from Mount Yishan. Since ancient times, there have been many stories and legends about the immortals of Mount Yishan in various places around here."

"What old immortal, what Mount Yishan, can they compare to Mount Qiyun, one of the four famous mountains? It's not like I haven't visited the Daoist priests of the Xuantian Temple on Mount Qiyun," the magistrate said, shaking his head. "If they really had the ability to wipe out the bandits on Monkey Mountain, they would have done it long ago."

"This... this... is also true..."

"Eh? What's the commotion ahead?"

"Ahead?"

Both the clerk and the magistrate looked forward.

They saw a large crowd gathered ahead, with exclamations from time to time, as if someone was performing magic tricks.

They also saw butterflies flying up in the crowd.

"Is someone performing tricks?"

This wasn't a temple fair, and it wasn't a holiday. How could someone be here performing magic tricks?

The clerk was happy in his heart.

Because magic trick performances were rare to see. In the past, it was an entertainment opportunity that only happened once a year, especially in today's increasingly chaotic world, where one might not even see one once a year. The people's livelihood was becoming more miserable year by year, and the rare opportunities for relaxation were becoming fewer and fewer, which was really not a good thing.

However, knowing that this newly appointed magistrate had been very troubled recently, he frowned and said: "I haven't heard of anyone coming to the city to report it? Could it be that the world is in chaos, and the rules are also in chaos!?"

"Go and see!"

"Alright!"

This was exactly what the clerk wanted.

So, pretending to be serious, he followed the magistrate. Before they even got close, hearing the enthusiastic cheers of the onlookers, he guessed that the performer must have real skills, and joy appeared in his eyes, and he couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to look.

They saw a young Daoist in the middle of the crowd, looking to be in his twenties, with a handsome appearance, an upright posture, and quite a bit of style.

Beside him was a long bench, on which sat a young male and female Daoist, who looked slightly younger.

Since ancient times, many Daoist practitioners liked to perform magic arts on the street, both to show their skills to people and to easily earn some silver. After all, Daoist practitioners also needed to eat and wear clothes. They couldn't do things like swindling, and they couldn't do things like killing and robbing. As for letting wealthy families support them, it might not be as worry-free and carefree as performing a magic art on the spot. Therefore, some people with high Daoist arts also loved to do this.

So the two of them weren't surprised, just watched carefully.

They saw the older young Daoist holding wheat ears, as if he had picked them up from the side of the road, and then, in the expectant eyes of the crowd, he rubbed them to pieces, shouted, and threw them into the sky.

The wheat ears filling the sky suddenly turned into butterflies fluttering about.

It was truly a scene that blocked out the sky and the sun.

The scene immediately erupted into another round of exclamations, and some young girls and children were even more dazzled, as if they had seen immortals.

"Truly divine!"

"Immortal, do it again!"

Some shouted, and some held up money.

During the performance break, the older Daoist chatted and laughed with the onlookers, while the younger female Daoist sitting on the bench carried a bamboo basket to collect money, thanking them repeatedly. After getting the money back, she and the Daoist beside her counted it and put it away.

"He is a Daoist, and it looks like he knows magic arts," the clerk whispered to the magistrate.

"I've seen plenty of these kinds of tricks. Most of them are illusions," the magistrate said calmly. "This is the season when butterflies and insects come out. He should have hidden them in the wheat ears in advance, and then combined them with illusions, making everyone think that the wheat turned into butterflies. Otherwise, how could wheat turn into butterflies in this world?"

"Magistrate Gao has a sharp eye."

The clerk said in a low voice beside him.

Unexpectedly, the Daoist had sharp ears. It was as if he had heard these words, and with a turn, he looked at them with a smile.

"This onlooker has a very high standard!" The Seventh Third Third Shixiong loved magic tricks and naturally didn't want others to look down on them, so he said, "What the onlooker said is indeed correct. There is no such thing as wheat turning into butterflies in this world, and the butterflies in the world are definitely not turned from wheat. This is just an illusion! However, with this illusion of mine, looking at all the famous teachers and true Daoists in the world, few can match it. Could it be that it still doesn't meet the onlooker's eye?"

The clerk beside him didn't dare to make a sound for a moment.

The two servants behind him wanted to step forward to reprimand him, but were stopped by the magistrate's hand.

"Such magic arts are naturally wonderful and profound, but since the Daoist is wearing a Daoist robe, I assume you are not an ordinary performer. Naturally, I want to see if the Daoist truly has Daoist cultivation and truly knows magic arts, or if you are just borrowing this Daoist robe to make it more convenient to ask for silver from the people."

"Hehe..."

The Seventh Third Third Shixiong laughed upon hearing this.

Actually, he didn't design other tricks to increase the appeal like some Jianghu performers, but since someone had taken the initiative to come to his door, and their status didn't seem simple, he didn't mind spending a moment with him to attract more people.

After all, his performance here, besides raising silver, could also promote the reputation of the Sixth Third Third Shixiong, making it easier for the Sixth Third Third Shixiong to manage the temple in the future.

So the Seventh Third Third Shixiong asked him:

"Then, according to the onlooker, how can I prove that I have true Daoist cultivation and know true magic arts?"

"Does the Daoist have any other skills besides this illusion?"

"Naturally, I do!"

The Seventh Third Third Shixiong laughed and asked him: "It just depends on whether the onlooker is willing to cooperate."

"How to cooperate?"

"How far apart are you and I right now?"

The magistrate didn't know what he intended, but answered frankly:

"About two zhang."

"What did the onlooker bring when you went out?"

"An official seal, a private seal, a sachet, and two taels of silver."

"Where were they placed by the onlooker?"

"Naturally, they are in my bosom!"

"May I take them out for a look?"

"Naturally..."

The magistrate reached into his bosom and touched, his expression changing suddenly.

He touched his waist again, his expression changing again.

The magistrate looked forward, only to see the Daoist laughing, reaching into his sleeve, and when he took his hand out, he already held the four items in his hand.