Chapter 68

Early the next morning, two Daoists, several pilgrims, a fox, and a donkey went down the mountain again.

The donkey was still carrying two bamboo baskets, with fine cloth laid in the baskets, containing a few cats.

Not only the three cat yaoguai cultivating on Scissors Peak, but also the few in the Daoist temple had actually obtained spirituality, but had not yet obtained the Dao and transformed into form. This time they were also brought along.

With outsiders, they didn't speak, only often poked their heads out, curiously looking left and right, as if looking at where they had walked.

The fox was walking beside Lin Jue.

Arriving in the city, it was already dusk.

Hearing that the money could not necessarily be found back, and hearing that it should be the faster the better, as soon as they entered the city, some people scrambled, wanting to go to whose house first.

Some said his money was lost the latest and easiest to find back, and immediately someone said it should be the house where the money was lost first. Some took out silver, saying it was tea money, and immediately someone did the same. However, Third Senior Ma Shidi didn't accept this money, only waved his hands, saying to go to the nearest house.

Under the sunset, the group walked past the Social Deity Temple again.

Lin Jue turned his head and looked, but found that there were quite a few people surrounding the Social Deity Temple today, mostly shirtless, sweat making the tendons and muscles all over their bodies clearer, looking like strong men. In front stood an old man leaning on a stick.

"What is this doing?"

Lin Jue couldn't help but ask suspiciously.

"Isn't it because of the things in the city? We have always worshipped this Master Chen, but he is not useful. A while ago, someone stayed in this temple and was stolen by yaoguai. You say why worship him? Someone in the city heard about this, so they said to smash him and invite the statue of Yili Shenjun."

"Then that old man?"

"Oh, that is Liu Gong, who is highly respected in the city," a middle-aged merchant said, "They all said to smash the statue, but no one dared, fearing to offend the gods. Only Liu Gong dared to do such a thing. He is not only highly respected, but also a gentleman since he was young. He has never done anything wrong in his life. Even if the gods come to the door to ask, he dares to raise his stick and beat them out."

"So that's how it is."

Lin Jue nodded, lost in thought.

In this world, it seems that many spirits, monsters, and gods are very respectful to people with virtue, and this seems not to be that virtue itself has some kind of power.

Specifically to this matter, the people in this world always follow pragmatism even when worshipping gods, naturally wanting to replace him. But even if this deity is not useful, everyone feels awe, fearing that the deity will come to the door to blame themselves, or fearing that the deity will take the lawsuit to a higher deity, or fearing that they have some kind of evil deeds or evil thoughts in their lives, which will be used as a basis for attack by the deity. Only people who have confidence in their own virtue and have a clear conscience dare to face the gods with a mortal body, and can build temples and statues, and can also break temples and break statues.

Thinking carefully about the wonderfulness, it is also interesting.

Then they came to a Yang family.

This family is very large, and there are many people in the family.

Although anxious, they were not rude. This Yang Gong first called the family to pour tea for Lin Jue and the two, and he walked into the inner courtyard.

By the time Lin Jue put down the bamboo basket behind the donkey and let the seven cats out, this Yang Gong had already taken out his money box, which was a wooden box wrapped in iron, with thick iron.

However, at this time, a big hole had appeared on the box.

"My family's money was placed in this. Usually, knowing that spirits and monsters come to steal, they all say they are little people. If you wrap it in iron, it won't be stolen. But now the iron has also broken a hole."

The leading hemp cat stood up like a human, holding the iron box and sniffing.

The remaining two cats curiously looked at it.

Lin Jue couldn't help but fall into thought.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether these spirits and monsters had become powerful, or if this was their strategy—first steal some scattered silver, let people know that the box wrapped in iron would not be stolen, thereby prompting people to concentrate all the money in the house into the iron box, and finally destroy the box; or originally it was very laborious for them to destroy the iron box, but after a long time, all Yixian people knew this trick. Except for those merchants who took a detour to come here because of the flood, everyone locked their money in the iron box. These spirits and monsters had no way, so they had to work hard to drill open the iron box.

At this time, Lin Jue's gaze lowered, and he saw the little fox he raised sniffing in the air, and finally looked up, looking at the room in front.

Third Senior Ma Shidi also saw this scene.

The two looked at each other and exchanged opinions.

"Go and see first."

So one took a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, and poured a cup of tea into his mouth, which was considered dinner, and then followed the fox.

Third Senior Ma Shidi also said a sentence behind him:

"Please follow me, three Daoist friends."

The three cats were originally doing their own things. Hearing this, they followed up. The four cats of Fuqiu Temple were a bit slower and had less human meaning, but the hemp cat on Scissors Peak walked a few steps and called to them, and they followed running hurriedly.

The fox was in front, the Daoists were behind.

Behind were seven cats of different colors.

Always came to the corner of the wall on the east side of the courtyard.

Flowers and plants were also planted here, a tree was bent into a suitable shape, sticking out of the wall, and there was a rockery underneath. The rockery was full of moss, hiding an inconspicuous hole behind it.

"Shimei, what are you saying! What to buy and how much to buy—isn't that up to Lin Shixiong?" Third Shixiong taught her. "Life is short. If you clearly have money on you and have finally come to the city, yet can't even bear to buy a little snack to eat, then what is the point of cultivating this Dao? Wouldn't it be no different from the secular world down the mountain?"

Lin Jue went over and looked.

The hole was about as thick as a bowl, but it was obviously larger inside, completely enough for those mice that were as big as cats or those who had turned into humans to come and go.

"Hard work for you."

Lin Jue touched the little fox's head.

This little thing's expression was serious, not smiling, as if it knew it was doing serious business.

"Junior brother, the temple where you caught mice last time, was it the Social Deity Temple in the city?"

"Yes."

"That place is not close to here."

"Seems so."

"These things, could it be that they have dug through the entire Yixian underground?" Third Senior Ma Shidi frowned, "Or is there a group under every neighborhood?"

"Don't know."

"..."

Then he saw Third Senior Ma Shidi turn his head, first saying to the Yang family: "We are starting to get rid of the yaoguai. If there is still silver money below, we will bring it up. Please avoid it for the time being, hmm, it is best to stay far away."

"Good good good..."

After the Yang family left, he bowed to the hemp cat among the three cats and said:

"Hard work for you, Daoist friend."

"Daoist friend, why say these words? Since we are neighbors and family friends, and Fourth Aunt has promised you, and the hard work fee has been discussed, it is naturally so. Besides, my Fourth Aunt is about to become a god, and she needs your help."

This cat speaks quite a set.

"The mice below can turn into humans, and can use knives and soldiers. Senior, be careful." Lin Jue couldn't help but remind him.

But he saw the hemp cat glance at him:

"Where in the world are there mice bullying cats? Besides, we have taken root in Mount Yishan for a thousand years. Don't we have any skills?"

As he spoke, he raised his tail and walked toward the hole. As soon as the words fell, he jumped forward and easily drilled into the hole.

The other two cats saw it and drilled in without hesitation.

For a time, only the four cats of Fuqiu Temple were left outside. They were also curious looking at the hole, and looked back at Third Senior Ma Shidi and Lin Jue.

"Meow~"

A sound came from the hole, as if calling.

"Go," Third Senior Ma Shidi, although he hadn't learned the method of gathering animals and adjusting birds, said to them, "This is the Daoist friends of Scissors Peak helping you."

When the four cats heard this, they also drilled into the hole.

"Junior brother, don't worry about the things in the hole. These mouse yaoguai are naturally responsible for the Daoist friends of Scissors Peak." Third Senior Ma Shidi said, and took out four beans, throwing them on the ground, "Be vigilant."

There were two more shield soldiers and two archers on the ground.

"Good."

Lin Jue also withdrew his gaze from the hole.

Pulled out the firewood knife, took the whistle stick, and combined them, becoming a park knife, holding it in his hand, and suddenly felt full of security.

"Heh..."

Third Senior Ma Shidi laughed, "Junior brother is really fond of this park knife."

Lin Jue didn't say anything.

At least for him now, spells can get rid of yaoguai, and park knives can also get rid of yaoguai. Spells are easy to use, and park knives are not necessarily worse than spells, and even easier to use.

The fox beside him also seemed to understand what they were saying, immediately withdrew its gaze from the hole, turned to sit beside Lin Jue's feet, and stared vigilantly at the surroundings.

At dusk, there were still human voices in the streets outside.

There was also movement in the hole.

There were mouse cries, cat cries, and running sounds.

Gradually it got dark.

Nothing happened on the ground.

It gradually became quiet in the hole.

After a while, the hemp cat of Scissors Peak came out of the hole first, dragging a mouse about the same size as it, two cats followed behind, and then the four cats of Fuqiu Temple, all the same, carrying a big gray mouse about the same size as them.

After catching the mice, they were all placed on the ground.

Lin Jue looked down, thinking of the mouse soldier leader in the temple a few days ago.

However, there was no pity in his heart, knowing that these mouse yaoguai, besides stealing silver money, actually harmed people in the city, and their personality was unexpectedly fierce.

"Total..."

The hemp cat jumped lightly, jumped onto the table beside, and looked down at the big gray mouse on the ground.

Looking from left to right, from right to left.

It seemed to be counting.

Even the little fox on the ground was afraid that it had counted how many mice there were, but it hadn't counted clearly, so it had to look up and stare at Lin Jue.

"How many?"

It seemed to feel that Lin Jue was more honest than Third Senior Ma Shidi.

"Nine." Lin Jue said truthfully, "We will remember it for the Daoist friend."

"I also believe in you!"

Then he withdrew the bean soldiers and called Yang Gong and others in.

Except for the Yang family, several merchants who went to Fuqiu Peak to invite them were also there. Looking at the big gray mice and silver money on the ground, they were all shocked, not expecting that they could really be found back.

"Yang Gong, please count at home first. If there is more, it should be the neighbors nearby. Please Yang Gong return it on behalf. If there is less, it must be that those spirits and monsters secretly moved it away. Yang Gong, please see clearly, the Daoists of our Fuqiu Temple will never hide it privately," Third Senior Ma Shidi didn't explain much, just felt at ease, and didn't spend much effort, whether to return it or not was up to him, then looked at other wealthy people, "Next house."

There were five people who came.

A total of five households.

It happened to be distributed in several places in the city.

Looking at Third Senior Ma Shidi's meaning, it should be that even after solving the things for these five households, if trouble didn't come to the door, he wouldn't stop—Fuqiu Temple is a Spirit Method School in the deep mountains, but it also has some heart to eliminate harm for the people. Even if trouble didn't come to the door, continuing, it was just continuing to eliminate harm for the people.

Gradually it was late at night, and then early morning.

Tossing and turning in several households.

The Daoist friends of Scissors Peak didn't sleep, the merchants who lost silver money didn't sleep, and Lin Jue and Third Senior Ma Shidi naturally didn't shout tired.

Gradually it was dawn.

In the house of the last merchant.

This time the mouse hole was in the corner of the wall in the room.

Third Senior Ma Shidi still let the merchants avoid, closed the doors and windows, summoned bean soldiers, then guarded the hole, invited the cat Daoist friends of Scissors Peak to go down to get rid of the mice, and bring the silver money up.

Everything was the same as before.

Even because they had stayed up all night, both of their expressions were a bit tired, plus feeling that the sky was bright, and the sound of peddlers shouting, the sound of horses and mules passing by, and the sound of wheels had come from outside. These households were all doing business in the city, and the houses were next to the bustling streets. I think there were already many people outside. Generally speaking, evil spirits and monsters would not come out at this time, so the two relaxed their vigilance.

One sat on a chair, elbows supporting the armrests, palms supporting the chin, one straightened his legs, hands knocking on his legs.

Even the fox was lying at Lin Jue's feet, squinting.

But suddenly, for no reason, the fox's ears moved, and it immediately lifted its head, looking out the window.

I don't know what movement attracted its attention.

The next moment, I heard a sound of wind outside the window.

"Whoosh..."

Like the sound of blunt objects breaking through the air.

Only heard a slap, a stick suddenly pierced the window paper and drilled in from the window.

"What thing?"

Third Senior Ma Shidi's expression froze, originally already drowsy, but immediately refreshed, and stood up.

Fingers flicked, and two bean soldier armored soldiers stepped forward.

Lin Jue also picked up the park knife.