Chapter 24: Violence and Taoist Temple
Under the watchful eyes of the public, the villagers of Xiaosha Village witnessed the most memorable scene of their lives.
That small gourd can not only fly automatically, but can also absorb water?
At first they thought, how much water can a gourd hold? But gradually they found out that they were wrong.
I saw streams of water pouring into the gourd quickly, the water in the pond was dropping rapidly, and the small gourd was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
Snap! Snap! Snap…
Many small fish and shrimps fell on the shore and jumped on the ground.
The Three Realms Gourd cannot absorb living things and automatically expels them.
The water level was getting lower and lower, the bottom of the pond was visible, and a brown figure was faintly seen running around.
After a few more breaths, the water in the pool was finally sucked out, revealing the thick silt underneath.
A big brown fish, more than three meters long, with its mouth open and fins like saw teeth, was struggling in the mud.
Li Daoxuan's gaze fixed on its bulging belly, and without any hesitation, he activated the magic gourd.
“Burn it for me!”
boom!
The Three Realms Gourd spewed out a scorching red flame, which landed on the fish's back and burned its skin and flesh.
Li Daoxuan deliberately avoided its abdomen to prevent burning the child.
After a while, the big fish's back was almost burned, and it was dying, losing the ability to resist.
Then, at Li Daoxuan's signal, the villagers jumped down one after another, lifted the big fish up, cut open its belly, and indeed found Grandma Zhang's little grandson.
At this moment, the child's face was blue and purple, and he was barely breathing.
Li Daoxuan first used a Liu Ding Liu Jia amulet on him to dispel the evil spirit, and then helped him perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The child's parents and Grandma Zhang all looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that this powerful immortal master could save the child.
Fortunately, the child was lucky. After Li Daoxuan performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he suddenly coughed, spit out a mouthful of water, and his complexion returned to normal.
He opened his eyes dazedly and saw his mother crying beside him. He said, "Mom, I just... seemed to dream that I was swallowed by a big fish..."
At this time, Granny Zhang knelt down towards Li Daoxuan, her face full of shame, and said: "Thank you, Immortal Master. I, I doubted you before, I really deserve to die, I am worse than a beast!"
As she said this she was about to slap herself.
Li Daoxuan quickly restrained her and said, "You don't have to do this. It was my negligence before. I almost delayed your farming. Now that the person has been rescued, you can go back quickly."
The old villager walked over with dozens of copper coins in his hand.
"Master, although we are farmers, we also know that we have to pay to subdue demons. We have pooled some money together, please don't despise it!"
Li Daoxuan looked at the copper coins and their eyes that were filled with shame.
Obviously, these simple villagers felt that it was not right to give only such a small amount of money, but this was all they could gather now.
Li Daoxuan smiled slightly and reached out to take out a copper coin from among them.
"I am a demon hunter, and the price I charge depends on my mood. I am in a good mood today, so one is enough."
If it were a rich man, he would ask for more without hesitation, but for these villagers who could not even get enough food, one copper coin was enough.
At this time, the fish monster with extremely strong vitality finally died completely.
The "Book of Exorcising Demons" glowed, and a line of words appeared.
"In May of the first year of Zhenguan, a fish monster was killed in the ancient pool of Longshou Mountain. The monster had been cultivating for twenty years and occasionally fed on humans. Killing it will earn you a reward - [One Year of Taoism]!"
A hint of joy appeared in Li Daoxuan's eyes, his Taoism was finally improving!
The next moment, the magic power in his body surged like spring water, doubling directly. His limbs and bones were all warm, and it seemed that even his strength had increased a lot.
However, before he could be happy for long, he felt an intense pain in his lower abdomen, as if pierced by thousands of swords, tearing his heart and lungs apart.
Li Daoxuan's face suddenly turned pale.
"Master? Master, what's wrong with you?"
The old villager said with some worry.
Li Daoxuan let out a long breath. The severe pain he had just felt had faded away, but he had a feeling that the problem had not been solved.
There must be something wrong with his cultivation. If it continues like this, it will probably get worse and worse!
We must find Taoist Master Zhang Qianyang as soon as possible!
Li Daoxuan waved his sleeves and put the fish demon's body into the Three Realms Gourd. He said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that I have something urgent to do. I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, he waved his hand and was about to leave.
Suddenly, he paused, as if he remembered something, and said, "By the way, Lord Muramasa, I have something to ask of you."
"Master, just give your orders!"
"I was able to eliminate the snake demon this time thanks to the wife of the Niu family in Sanhe Village. Please inform her that the snake demon is dead, and tell the villagers of Sanhe Village that she is the hero who eliminated the demon. Do not tarnish her reputation again."
Laocunzheng immediately said: "This is a simple matter, I will definitely do it!"
Li Daoxuan nodded, took one last look at the villagers of Xiaosha Village, turned around and left, his steps shortened to an inch, and in just a few breaths, he disappeared from everyone's sight.
…
At dusk, before the sun set, Li Daoxuan arrived in Xinyang County.
The county town was noticeably more lively, with houses arranged in an orderly manner. Most of them were made of wood, with the occasional brick house. They looked more imposing and were the homes of the wealthy local families.
Li Daoxuan walked on the street. The road was flat and wide. Although it was not as clean and tidy as in later generations, it was much better than the muddy roads in the countryside.
It was already dusk and there were not many people on the street. Some vendors had also started to pack up and prepare to go back.
There was a curfew in the Tang Dynasty. If you went out at night without reason, you would be whipped twenty times.
Of course, if you stay at home and don’t go out, you can have fun as you please, so it’s not that people in the Tang Dynasty did not have a nightlife. As long as the house was big enough, they could do discotheques, barbecues, and so on.
Li Daoxuan stopped in front of a jewelry vendor and said with a smile, "Big brother, can I ask you something?"
The stall owner was a middle-aged man who looked very honest. He smiled and said, "What's the matter?"
"Do you know where the Zhenyang Taoist Temple is?"
Unexpectedly, after hearing the words "Zhenyang Taoist Temple", the stall owner's expression changed drastically, his smile faded, and he glanced up and down at Li Daoxuan.
"What are you asking about there?"
"I want to visit a senior."
The stall owner shook his head repeatedly, without even looking at Li Daoxuan, and said, "I don't know, go ask someone else!"
Li Daoxuan was surprised and didn't know why his attitude suddenly changed.
He asked other people and found that when people heard the words "Zhenyang Taoist Temple", their expressions changed drastically, and even they looked at him with strange eyes.
It was as if I was looking at the God of Plague...
Fortunately, after Li Daoxuan's persistent questioning, an old lady selling vegetables finally told him the approximate location.
The most remote West Street in Xinyang County is known as "the most violent and brutal place".
When Li Daoxuan came to this street, he knew why it was called Xiongsi. The whole street was hung with talismans and black cloth used to ward off evil spirits. Different statues of gods were enshrined in every shop.
Everything sold on this street is stuff that only dead people would use.
Funeral clothing store, coffin shop, custom epitaph...
When Li Daoxuan stepped into the street, he seemed to feel that the temperature around him had dropped a little.
He walked quickly, and when he reached the end of the dangerous place, he finally saw a shabby little Taoist temple.
Pushing open the door, Li Daoxuan took a breath of cold air.
In the courtyard of the Taoist temple, there was a straw mat and a coffin lying flat . On the straw mat was the body of a man with many needle and thread marks on his face, which showed that he had been sewn up after death.
