Chapter 4: Superb Mastery of the Arts

To have been able to stay safely in the Village until now, this Qingyi Daozhang must belong to the latter category.

The villagers who have survived in these chaotic times are not easily fooled; one must maintain a solid persona to reap the benefits.

This is not the first time Qingyi Daozhang has dressed like this to perform a Dharma Assembly outside the Village.

As long as the persona does not collapse, one can continue to receive preferential treatment from the villagers.

It was not just Wen Gu whose eyes lit up; the collective look of the villagers, as if they were seeing a deity, was enough to prove how enthusiastic they were at this moment!

As Qingyi Daozhang walked over, he appeared indifferent, but in reality, he was keeping a close watch on the movements of the villagers from all sides.

Upon seeing Wen Gu, his expression did not change, but his heart stirred—

He had originally thought this sickly scholar would not pull through, but he never expected him to have survived!

From the very first time they met, he knew this scholar was no honest man!

He does not like dealing with these scholars who have too many schemes in their heads.

Keeping this in mind, the Daoist Priest remained calm and composed on the surface.

The Dharma Assembly began, and incense was burned to offer to the heavens.

Qingyi Daozhang declared that this Dharma Assembly was to subdue the fierce and evil, and to overcome disaster and danger.

He placed a straw-woven doll on the Jutan, its craftsmanship looking rough and ferocious.

It was precisely because of this that the villagers could tell at a glance what this doll represented.

Looking at it, it resembled a human form, yet it was not quite human; was that not a person possessed by an evil spirit?

It could not even be called a person; that was an evil entity! Not of our kind!

Afterwards, the Daoist Priest chanted scriptures and set up an array, his sleeves fluttering, his hands moving so fast that the naked eye could only see blurred shadows; in the blink of an eye, the doll was covered in talismans.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the Daoist Priest performed the Bugangbudou, wielding a long sword with sharp and exquisite skill; while pinching a magic seal, he pointed toward the doll on the Jutan in the direction of the sword, and flames suddenly appeared in his hand!

And the doll at a distance, following a loud explosion, saw the talisman paper stuck to it ignite.

It was as if the flames had transferred from the Daoist Priest's hand onto the talismans.

The watching villagers let out bursts of exclamations.

Not to mention the significance of this Dharma Assembly, even in times of peace, watching it as a spectacle would be exciting enough.

Wen Gu, watching the classical Dharma Assembly from up close, was even more thrilled; if the occasion were not inappropriate, he would have even wanted to applaud enthusiastically.

The Daoist Priest was busy performing the rites, yet he still kept an eye on all six directions, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before subtly shifting back to glance at Wen Gu.

???

This scholar... his gaze seems overly intense.

After a while, his gaze swept over again, and Wen Gu's expression no longer showed anything unusual.

A Dharma Assembly, with all the jumping and chanting, consumes a huge amount of physical energy; however, until the very end, Qingyi Daozhang maintained his previous posture, and paired with the drifting smoke, he appeared even more ethereal.

After the important parts had passed, the Village Chief asked Wen Gu in a low voice: "Were you startled just now?"

When the Daoist Priest was performing the rites earlier, the Village Chief noticed Wen Gu lift his hands.

Thinking back, when Qingyi Daozhang first came to their Village, the move he revealed made so many people kneel down.

Now that they have seen it often, although the shock is not as intense as it was at the beginning, they still cannot help but feel a sense of awe every time.

Since it was Wen Gu's first time seeing it, he was likely stunned.

Hearing the Village Chief's question, Wen Gu bowed elegantly before saying: "The Daoist Priest's Bugangniejie and his command to raise the five thunders show superb mastery of the arts!"

Qingyi Daozhang's ears twitched over there. He did not believe this scholar was praising him sincerely! He was just putting on a show on the surface, while actually harboring unfathomable intentions!

Yet, Wen Gu truly felt that this Daoist Priest was very capable.

First, the Daoist Priest's techniques were very impressive.

The skill of a master swindler, using mystery to confuse people's eyes and ears, is not something an ordinary person can learn!

Whether the magic is profound or not remains to be seen, but those moves and stances were indeed quite intimidating; the seemingly flashy actions actually hid mysteries, and without ten or so years of practice, one could not be so fluid.

Second, this Daoist has mastered a great deal of Chemical and pharmacological knowledge; he is a talent!

Wen Gu observed and analyzed that the cuffs of Qingyi Daozhang's robes had been sprinkled with medicinal powder or liquid, and he carried a faint, peculiar scent of herbs and minerals as he walked.

Beyond the effect of driving away "evil," given his cautious manner of not letting anyone touch him, the powder and liquid on his robes might also have a certain toxicity to people.

It could be said that this Daoist Priest is currently a walking medicine furnace.

As for the Medicinal Herb used to weave the doll, besides the ones visible on the surface, he must have configured other things inside. The talismans stuck on it must have been pre-treated as well, which is how that smooth and flowing scene on the Jutan was achieved.

It truly is: a quarter-hour on the altar, years of hard work off the altar!

Third, he understands how to observe the weather and celestial phenomena. He can adjust the location and time of the Dharma Assembly based on real-time weather, sunlight, wind direction, wind speed, and other factors.

Wen Gu felt deeply moved in his heart—

Such a good talent for scientific research, why go into fraud!

The path has gone astray!

On the Jutan, the flames from the burning talisman paper quickly consumed the doll, then turned it into ashes.

The ritual did not last long; with crises lurking outside the Village, special matters require special handling, and it had to be done quickly.

The Daoist Priest finished the prayer process and wrapped up. He then had the villagers put the ashes from the burned talisman paper and doll into a vat of boiled water that had been prepared in advance, stirring it for a moment.

Wen Gu understood; is this the talisman water?

However, this vat of talisman water was not for drinking, but for the villagers to divide up and carry to various places in the Village to sprinkle, so as to drive away Evil Qi.

The Dharma Assemblies the Daoist Priest had performed in the Village before seemed to have a similar step. He had even specifically emphasized that this was a substance of extreme Yang, specifically meant to overcome evil spirits, and since mortals could not withstand it, it must never be consumed.

While Wen Gu was bedridden, he had heard people in the Village mention that the talisman water bestowed by the Daoist Priest was truly effective. It could be sprinkled on the ground or used on clothing. Those in the Village with patrol duties or tasks outside liked to sprinkle this medicinal water on their clothes.

After some thought, Wen Gu realized. This is medicinal water configured through unconventional means, used for insect repellent and disinfection!

In this era, it is a highly sought-after commodity!

If possible, he would like some too.

The villagers naturally all wanted to snatch more for their own families, but with those in the village who held prestige holding them back, they could only follow the rules: only those whose names were called could go over to take a little.

It was basically distributed according to contribution; laid out before everyone, in public, whoever contributed more received more.

A Village Elder held a small ladle to distribute water to everyone. This person had high seniority, was trusted by the villagers, and handled matters quite fairly. If anyone didn't understand the rules, they would face this person's reprimand.

Wen Gu had assumed he wouldn't get a share; he had no outside tasks, did not participate in the village patrols, and his blueprints were not yet finished, so he hadn't expected the Village Elder to mention his name.

Participating in this kind of ceremony for the first time, he had not brought a container to hold it.

Liu Liehu distributed a Bamboo Tube to him. It had a small lid on top, and a hemp rope was tied to the body of the tube so it could be carried.

Others also brought Bamboo Tubes to collect the talisman water, but the caliber of the tubes varied from person to person, so the amount held naturally differed as well.

Wen Gu looked at the Bamboo Tube in his hand and walked over.

The Village Elder, who was busy distributing talisman water with his head lowered, paused upon seeing this thick Bamboo Tube being handed over. Just as he was about to curse at whichever brat didn't understand the rules, he raised his eyes and saw it was Wen Gu, so he silently ladled out a scoop. Their Wubao still had to rely on this person.

"Many thanks," Wen Gu said softly.

Some uninformed villagers saw this situation and felt puzzled and indignant in their hearts, but after glancing at those leading the village, they swallowed their dissatisfied words.

As the world has become chaotic, those who are still alive now, even if not necessarily very clever, are certainly sensible of the times.

Qingyi Daozhang, who was tidying his Daoist Robe, listened with his ears to the Village Elder talking about newly excavated medicinal herbs, while his eyes still kept watch on the surroundings. He also diverted some attention to Wen Gu's side and naturally saw the scene just now.

He secretly thought: That brat is indeed deep and calculating; it has only been a few days since his illness recovered, and all the leaders in the village are already favoring him!

After the talisman water was finished, the surrounding villagers, after kneeling piously on the specially made straw mats sprinkled with medicinal water, were still unwilling to leave, all pondering how to find an opportunity to speak with the Daoist Priest and catch a bit of Daoist immortal aura.

One must strike while the incense is hot when worshipping gods!

The few sticks of incense on the altar were still burning, and the smoke and dust from the burning talisman paper had not yet completely dissipated; surely it would be useful to catch more Daoist immortal aura now!

A few abrupt whistle sounds interrupted everyone's plans; it was the person responsible for security giving a warning, informing everyone that evil things had appeared nearby.

The villagers, who had been lingering and unwilling to leave, rushed home as if their feet had been set to double speed.

Wen Gu's feet left the ground as he was hoisted up by his cousin like a bundle of candied Sugar on a stick and carried back.

Also taking advantage of the height from being lifted and the slightly elevated terrain of his current position, Wen Gu's gaze crossed over the wild grass and obstacles, seeing blurry shadows in the distance.

The overly tall wild grass and wantonly growing tree branches swayed in the wind, revealing one or two blurry figures.

Their fat and muscles seemed to have been dried out, their exposed arms covered in large patches of Purple-Brown Spot, moving with a strange walking rhythm, threading through the ground full of shrubs and wild grass, accompanied by low roars like wild beasts of the mountains and forests, approaching the village.

This is what people look like after being possessed by "evil spirits."

The commoners call them Yaojie, evil demons, mountain ghosts, evil things, and other such names related to monsters and ghosts.

Initially, the village also called them all sorts of things, but after Qingyi Daozhang arrived, they followed the Daoist Priest's terminology.

Wen Gu knew from his memories that the great aristocratic families outside also seemed to prefer the term "evil things," avoiding words like "monster" or "ghost." He didn't know if they knew the inside story or if it was a linguistic taboo.

The situation at hand.

Too much scent of the living will naturally lure evil things over.

Evil things love flesh and blood; they eat both humans and other animals. But if one were to list a menu for them, humans would certainly rank first.

The Dharma Assembly at the village entrance had gathered almost the entire village, making the scent of the living stronger, which in turn attracted the nearby evil things.

Compared to the panic of the villagers, those in charge in the village remained quite calm.

The Daoist Priest who had just finished the Dharma Assembly was also indifferent.

Wen Gu felt slightly at ease.

If they could all hold their composure, it seemed it was only a minor matter. Liu Liehu had already nocked his bow, but he was not panicked; the village's defenses could fully handle it.

However, Qingyi Daozhang should be reliable in this matter; having just performed a Dharma Assembly in front of all the villagers, he couldn't be slapped in the face so quickly.

Sure enough, the two evil things that appeared slowed their pace as they approached, then seemed to smell some unpleasant odor, changed direction, wandered for a moment, and then gradually moved away.

There was no need for the village defense personnel to take action.

The Daoist Priest's professional ability was still quite strong; his persona was stabilized once again.

Wen Gu pondered how to steer this Daoist Priest back to the right path. While being carried back, seeing the Daoist Priest look over, he adjusted his upper body and gave a bow with a scholarly air from afar to show respect.

The Daoist Priest's face twitched slightly, but he quickly returned to a calm and upright expression, slightly returning the bow.

Wen Gu: A master indeed! His psychological quality is truly strong!

Daoist Priest: That damn scholar! He doesn't even forget to put on an act while being carried away!

Thanks to Xueyi Rumo for the patron support.

Thank you all for the tips and votes~

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(End of this chapter)