Chapter 242: Finished, Met a Real Tian Shi

"Two Daoist brothers, the poor Daoist pays his respects."

After the official and the general left, Fan Tian Shi immediately lowered his attitude and called them Daoist brothers.

But his words were still tactful.

"To tell you the truth, the poor Daoist came here this time by volunteering to solve the yaoguai king's trouble for the Gathering Ji Xianren Mansion and the local commoners. I didn't expect to find out after arriving that the yaoguai king here has high cultivation, and the poor Daoist has no understanding of what abilities it has. Do the two Daoist brothers know? Can you give the poor Daoist an idea?"

Xiao Shimei held the Chicken Ji Xianren's horsetail whisk, listening from the side, feeling it was very interesting.

This was the first time she was called Daoist brother.

And it was called by a middle-aged Daoist.

Lin Jue instantly sensed his nervousness and fear from his tone and expression; it was not as simple as he said, and he immediately understood that this person did not have the ability that the official boasted about.

However

Since it is our first meeting, there is no need to speak too deeply.

Lin Jue thought for a moment and tactfully reminded him: "Since you, fellow Daoist, come from Ju Xian Fu and possess such great skills, why not volunteer to go and eliminate that Tu Long Wang? Why show fear? Just go ahead."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged Daoist thought he was being mocked.

But he did not care about that; he only focused on the three characters 'Tu Long Wang'.

"Tu Long Wang? So you two fellow Daoists really do know that demon king!" Master Fan asked hurriedly. "I wonder if you two fellow Daoists know the background and weaknesses of that demon king? Could you offer this poor Daoist some advice?"

"Fellow Daoist, just go."

"Alas, that is a demon king after all!" Master Fan revealed a look of distress. "If you two fellow Daoists are willing to assist, once you arrive in the capital, I will certainly host a banquet to treat you well."

"Haha, fellow Daoist, you are too polite!"

"Why be like this, fellow Daoist? Very well! Since you two are renowned cultivators from the Fuchi Temple and we are strangers, I will not hide it from you! I truly lack the ability to eliminate that demon king!" Seeing that he seemed unwilling to help, the middle-aged Daoist simply confessed and immediately lowered his posture again. "If I can have your help, I will honor you both as my senior brothers for the rest of my life."

"Haha!"

Lin Jue found it amusing; only then did he realize that his words had been taken as mockery.

From this, he also sensed the man's urgency.

But he had one doubt—

"I did not mean to mock you, fellow Daoist. I am just curious: even if you cannot eliminate that demon king, wouldn't returning to fetch reinforcements or simply heading home save you from the risk?"

"It is a long story..."

The middle-aged Daoist said this but did not explain, only continuing to look at them with hope.

"It seems you must make this trip, Master Fan?"

"That is correct."

"..."

Lin Jue held his cup, his face showing contemplation.

This person seemed to have a great reputation and status in Ju Xian Fu and even the entire capital, but it was clearly a case of fame exceeding reality.

Although the junior sister's Daoist temple was still a hundred miles from the capital, it was not far, and he himself was planning to make a trip to the capital—not only might Ju Xian Fu hold books on the Great Yin-Yang Law and the Five Elements Spiritual Law, but those eccentric people also possessed various magical arts, some of which might interest him.

Previously, a senior had mentioned 'Yanluan Incense' once, which also touched upon the capital and the imperial court.

There might indeed be a place where he could be of use.

Ju Xian Fu, Master Fan;

Tu Long Wang, Wei Nu's persuasion;

At this very moment...

The junior sister sat nearby, flipping the grilled fish.

The fox scratched its head with its hind leg, staring at them.

"Very well!"

"Hmm?"

Master Fan looked over expectantly.

"I will give you an idea that will not only allow you to pass tonight in peace, but as long as you follow it, you can complete this trip without losing a hair. No harm to your life, no harm to your reputation." Lin Jue paused for a moment. "But you must remember what you just said. If we arrive in the capital and come to you for a meal, you must not block us at the door."

"I wouldn't dare!" Master Fan said immediately. "If it is truly as you say, you two will be the great benefactors of me, Fan Yuchen!"

"Depart early tomorrow morning, arrive at the widest part of the Wei Shui before the hour of the horse (11:45 AM - 12:15 PM), and go ashore at that time. You will naturally be able to find trouble with that Tu Long Wang and yet retreat unscathed."

"Really?"

"You can let your general go and check first!"

"Hiss..."

The middle-aged Daoist could not help but ponder.

It sounded a bit mysterious.

But precisely because it was mysterious, he felt there must be a deep meaning; every hour likely had its reason.

Moreover, these two Daoists mentioned 'the widest part of the Wei Shui' right off the bat, which happened to be the same as what that little yaoguai confessed that night. It seemed these two knew where that Tu Long Wang resided.

In any case, he could let the general go and see.

The middle-aged Daoist thought this, hurriedly stood up, and bowed deeply: "Many thanks to you two fellow Daoists!"

"Please sit down quickly. The boat cover is translucent; otherwise, others will see Master Fan bowing to us." Lin Jue said with a smile, as if he had already seen through the man's background.

Master Fan also hurriedly sat down.

The junior sister was still flipping the grilled fish nearby, but her eyes had widened without her realizing it.

It sounded like the senior brother had taken in a...

Junior brother?

She knew that both the third senior brother and the little senior brother wanted to see the capital. However, the third senior brother just wanted to join in the fun and tour the premier city of the world before the great catastrophe arrived, while the little senior brother seemed to have more thoughts about the capital and likely needed to find a way in.

But today, the senior brother seemed to have done nothing?

He only let this person go and look.

But even if the senior brother didn't say it, this person would probably have to go and look anyway, biting the bullet. Even if he didn't go, once those heroes of the jianghu went to the county office to report the case and claim the reward, and the released people returned home, the news would naturally grow legs and walk along the official roads and paths, and this person would still find out.

The junior sister could not help but scratch her head.

"The grilled fish is ready." Lin Jue said to Fan, "Would you like to eat some?"

"I have eaten, I have eaten."

"I heard that Ju Xian Fu gathers all the eccentric people of the world, each with their own skills. Besides you, fellow Daoist, are there any other eccentric people, and what skills do they have?" Lin Jue asked casually.

"There are many." Master Fan, being bold and having a big heart, felt all his anxiety vanish and just chatted with him. "Some can summon heavenly soldiers and divine generals to eliminate demon kings, some can lead people to the Pure Land, some serve as officials in the underworld in addition to being in the human world and can know the affairs of the underworld, and some prefer to find trouble for ghosts..."

"The one who summons heavenly soldiers and divine generals is you, Master Fan, right?"

"No, no." Master Fan's face could not hold up. "There is another one."

"Is he similar to Master Fan?"

"I, I think they are similar."

"Are there any others with skills?"

"Some can see a thousand miles, some can hear in all directions, and some can travel a thousand miles a day."

"Travel a thousand miles a day..."

Lin Jue repeated the term, his eyes brightening slightly.

With this skill, couldn't it replace the Spirit-Traveling Pill?

By then, not to mention senior brothers far away, wouldn't it take only a day to reach those nearby, like the second senior brother or the seventh senior brother?

In this day and age, when commoners marry a bit far away, or move from a village to a city, or visit relatives and friends, who doesn't need to walk for a day?

After talking for a long time, Master Fan finally left.

Lin Jue sat in the covered boat, blew out the ordinary oil lamp, and instead lit his own night-watch lamp, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Interesting..."

Just as Lord Luo said, in this day and age, the military lacks brave generals, the court lacks wise ministers, and as for renowned Daoists, high monks, and eccentric people with true skills, they naturally pursue freedom more than scholars or soldiers. Even fewer are willing to go to Ju Xian Fu; instead, there are many who are impostors seeking fame and reputation.

He became even more eager to go and see for himself.

It was just that Master Fan thought they were strangers, which was why he entrusted his background to them in his urgency. If one day they really arrived in the capital and met him, he wondered what expression he would have.

"Interesting..."

Lin Jue began to eat the grilled fish.

The next morning, the dragon boat continued forward, drifting downstream.

Regardless of what Master Fan was thinking, his face remained calm and relaxed. He just stood at the prow, blowing in the morning breeze, sailing into the misty water vapor, and even urged them to sail faster.

When the crowd heard the urging, they thought the Master was confident of victory and full of faith, and wanting to eliminate demons for the people quickly, they themselves also wanted to follow the Master to eliminate demons and earn merit, thereby rising in the world. Naturally, everyone used all their strength to make the dragon boat go faster.

Gradually, they arrived at a wide stretch of water.

"What time is it?"

"Almost the hour of the horse."

"The hour of the horse..."

Master Fan stood at the prow and looked out.

Actually, there was no need for him to go down and check, nor did he need to tell General Zeng to go and check; a martial artist with two constables was already walking below.

"Who is below! Is it human or demon?"

The imperial guards on the dragon boat shouted downward.

"Who are you?"

The two constables below were also startled.

"This is the immortal boat of Master Fan from Ju Xian Fu in the capital, here with General Zeng, a middle-rank general of the imperial guards, to eliminate demons!"

"We, we are constables from Ruixue County, the closest to here. Someone came to report and claim a reward, saying the demon was eliminated here. We, we followed to check." The constables were already frightened, and upon hearing the names of Ju Xian Fu and some Master, plus an imperial guard general, they were frightened even more.

"Eliminated the demon?"

The people on the boat looked at each other in surprise upon hearing this.

Then they followed the constables' gaze.

They saw a small stream above the river ferry, and less than fifty zhang away along the stream, there was a patch of charred black in a peach blossom forest.

At first glance, they thought something else had burned, but upon closer inspection, they saw a bone seven or eight zhang long protruding from the ashes, looking like a dragon bone, giving people a huge visual impact.

"Hiss!"

Everyone was greatly shocked, not knowing what kind of behemoth this was!

"What do you mean? Come over and explain in detail!"

"Yes..."

The constable then walked over tremblingly, facing the tall dragon boat, looking up to narrate.

A martial artist on the side, leaning on a tiger-head broadsword with rings, stood further away, looking at the imperial guards and the general appearing at the boat's side with disdain.

Only then did everyone hear that yesterday morning, immortals had already fought a fierce battle here with the demon king and his demon soldiers and generals, eliminating the demon king.

"How is that possible?"

Everyone on the boat widened their eyes.

Besides Master Fan, who could eliminate such a demon king?

Master Fan also widened his eyes.

Was what those two said last night actually true?

Everyone left the boat one after another, following the martial artist's guidance to go and check the huge Tu Long bone.

Looking from afar, they already felt it was big, but standing in front of it and using themselves as a comparison, they felt it was terrifyingly large, and for a moment, everyone felt this was not something that could be eliminated by human power.

Then, following the stream through a cave and walking into a sinkhole, they saw the corpses of countless demon soldiers and generals lying inside, some looking like humans, some having returned to their original forms. The ground was pitted and scarred, a mess, with traces of fire everywhere. Some demon corpses even had flowers blooming on them, making them feel both strange and shocked.

"Chicken Ji Xianren..."

"General Rhino..."

General Zeng found a headless rooster as big as a human, and then found the huge humanoid rhinoceros, all matching what the little yaoguai had confessed that night, and for a moment, he could not believe it.

"How is it possible? With just you martial artists, how could you eliminate these demons?"

"Why not? Martial artists like me have precious blades in our hands; we are not just standing in honor guards in the palace!" The armed martial artist said, "Besides, we had the help of immortal experts!"

"Who?"

The martial artist only said it was a male and female Daoist, accompanied by a white fox.

Master Fan, the officials, and the general were stunned on the spot, their minds involuntarily conjuring the heavenly light reflected in the water last night, a drifting covered boat, and that single light inside the boat.

"Master Fan..."

"Alas, this poor Daoist wanted to come and eliminate the demon, but I didn't expect it to be snatched by two fellow Daoists first..."

Master Fan said this, but his eyes were wide open, and his heart was surging with waves.

It's over—

I met a real Master.

Seeking the minimum monthly ticket for the beginning of the month!

Bowing and exposing my chest!