Volume 2: World of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio Chapter 30 Planning
"Wait, wait, wait, the scholar in front, wait."
Ning Caichen was about to enter Lanruo Temple when he heard a voice behind him and stopped immediately. Without him turning around to look, a figure had already flashed in front of him.
"Who are you?"
Ning Caichen was very sure that he did not know this ragged man, "Brother, why are you stopping me?"
The strange man looked Ning Caichen up and down, "You scholar, don't you know that there are demons and ghosts in Lanruo Temple? How dare you enter?"
Demon!
Ning Caichen looked at the strange man in front of him and wanted to say to him: Don’t talk about ghosts and monsters. I have seen the most powerful ones. Have you seen a sun as big as the sun? That man just swung it and smashed it. Ghosts and monsters were just like toys in his hands. You can’t watch that scene too much. If you watch it too much, you will think that everyone can play with ghosts and monsters.
"Brother, I don't know where you heard that there are ghosts in Lanruo Temple, but that was a year ago. A year ago, a master appeared and dealt with all the ghosts here. Now Lanruo Temple has returned to peace. I just want to rest for one night, no problem."
Hmm! No more demons!
The strange man was stunned when he heard this, and there was some disappointment in his eyes. He had just come down the mountain not long ago and was traveling around the world, wanting to exorcise demons and monsters. There were many rumors among the people, but there were not many real demons and monsters, let alone the big demons and ghosts he imagined. He came all the way here and finally heard that there was a Lanruo Temple in Guobei County where demons and ghosts sometimes appeared, so he came here directly.
Now that I see that I have met an understanding person, has this been a wasted trip?
Forget it, now that we are here and it is already evening, we may as well rest in Lanruo Temple for a night.
"Since there are no more demons, let's go in."
After entering Lanruo Temple, the strange man sniffed and indeed did not smell any scent of evil spirits. Although disappointed, he remained cautious and handed a piece of talisman paper to Ning Caichen.
"Well, meeting is fate. I am Zhiqiu Yiye from Kunlun Sect. You can keep this talisman. Maybe the demon has gone out to look for food and hasn't come back yet. If you are in danger, this talisman can protect you. I will sleep next to you. If you have any problems, just call me."
Ning Caichen watched Zhiqiu Yiye leave and felt very strange. Are all the people from Kunlun Sect like this? The bearded Yan Chixia he met last time seemed to have such a personality.
I forgot to ask them if they knew each other.
at night.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
In Lanruo Temple, the cold wind was howling. Several figures appeared in the temple, swaying in the wind. If someone came out to pee, he would definitely shout.
"Ah! There's a ghost!"
Ning Caichen looked at the white figures swaying in the temple and suddenly lost all his urge to urinate. Hadn’t all the ghosts here been eliminated? How come they are still here?
Ning Caichen's loud shout attracted the ghosts as well, and several white shadows pounced towards Ning Caichen.
"Malimalihong, wind, fire, thunder and lightning spirit!"
Just when Ning Caichen was about to be caught by the ghost, a voice came from behind him. In the dark night, several talisman fires were shot out, and the ghost that was floating in the sky was immediately hit and fell directly to the ground.
"Master, help me!"
When Ning Caichen saw Zhiqiu Yiye, he immediately felt like he had seen a savior. This was a Taoist priest from Kunlun, and like those people last time, he could cast magic.
Zhiqiu Yiye entered the scene with a magic sword in his hand and started fighting with those ghosts.
"Strange, why don't these guys have any ghost energy!"
"Certainly!"
Zhiqiu Yiye used the immobilization technique and tried to freeze a white shadow that was about to attack him from behind, but the shadow was immediately immobilized and Zhiqiu Yiye lifted the veil directly.
"Yes! You are human, not ghosts! No wonder I couldn't smell it. OK, you dare to lie to me. I thought I really encountered a ghost."
Seeing that these ghosts were actually people in disguise, Zhiqiu Yiye immediately became angry.
These people didn't expect to meet such a powerful guy in the temple.
"Humph, no matter whether you are human or ghost, if you commit crimes here, you are not good people. I will get rid of you first."
Zhiqiu Yiye, with the idea that if he couldn't catch the bad guys, he could just beat a few of them, started to take action.
"stop!"
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the temple, and the actions of Zhiqiu Yiye and those figures were immediately interrupted. Ning Caichen also hurriedly came behind Zhiqiu Yiye.
A middle-aged man slowly appeared, followed by a familiar figure to Ning Caichen.
"Hero Xiahou!"
When Ning Caichen saw the swordsman's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but scream. He was a little surprised. He didn't expect to meet Xiahou Jie again at this critical moment.
Xiahou Jie also looked over and recognized Ning Caichen. He felt that this guy was definitely unlucky and always ran into trouble.
"Brother, do you know them?"
When Zhiqiu Yiye saw that Ning Caichen knew the person who came, he couldn't help but ask. The person who spoke just now was really very powerful, so Zhiqiu Yiye didn't dare to act on his own without knowing who was the enemy or friend.
"That swordsman is Xiahou Xiahou. Last time when I was resting in Lanruo Temple, it was Xiahou Xiahou and several other immortals who helped me get rid of the demons. I didn't expect to meet the hero again today."
They were the ones who got rid of the demon last time!
Zhiqiu Yiye looked at the newcomers and actually stepped forward to clasp his fists. "I am Zhiqiu Yiye from Kunlun Sect. I greet you two. What are your names?"
A leaf of autumn! A disciple of Kunlun!
Zhuge Wulong and Xiahou Jie were both a little surprised, and Xiahou Jie couldn't help but speak.
"You are also from Kunlun, do you know Senior Yan Chixia?"
Hearing this, Zhiqiu Yiye immediately became happy, "Does this Taoist friend know Master Uncle Yan? Do you know where Master Uncle Yan is? I have been looking for him all the way here but I haven't met him. If you can tell me where Master Uncle Yan is, I will be very grateful."
Uncle Master!
Hearing Zhiqiu Yiye's address, Xiahou Jie reluctantly regarded Zhiqiu Yiye as one of his own.
"Senior Yan didn't contact us after he left last time. Young Master may know. When you see Young Master later, just ask him yourself. Mr. Wolong, what should we do now?"
Crouching Dragon!
Hearing Xiahou Jie's voice, everyone in the field was startled.
"Mr. Wolong! You are Mr. Wolong!"
Two female voices suddenly came from behind Zhiqiu Yiye, and the white shadows had taken off their disguises. Leading the group were two women, and behind them were eight men.
The two women took two steps at a time and came to Zhuge Wolong. They bowed and said, "The descendant of loyalty and righteousness, Fu Qingfeng (Fu Yuechi) greets Mr. Wolong."
Ning Caichen looked at the figure at the head and was a little dazed. Fu Qingfeng's face looked exactly like Xiaoqian whom he had met before.
Xiahou Jie also noticed this, but it was a small matter. There were many people in the world who looked the same, not to mention that Nie Xiaoqian was already dead.
"Are you Fu Tianchou's daughters?"
Zhuge Wulong looked at Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi, thinking back to Jia Le's words, and seemed to understand something.
After reading Sun Zichu's fate and hearing about the events in Yangzhou, Zhuge Wulong finally agreed to follow Sun Zichu temporarily. Jiale then asked him to bring Xiahou Jie to Lanruo Temple first, saying that this was the key for Sun Zichu to take over Yangzhou. Originally, Zhuge Wulong didn't know what Jiale was keeping in suspense, but after seeing Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi, he understood a little.
"Senior, my father is Fu Tianchou. He was murdered by a traitor and is now being taken to Kyoto to be beheaded. We will never allow my father to die innocently, so we are lying in ambush here. We have already inquired in advance that the Jinyiwei are taking my father here. The reason why we are pretending to be ghosts here is just because we don't want people to find out our true identity."
Fu Tianchou!
Zhuge Liang already understood everything.
Fu Tianchou is not an ordinary person. He was originally the Minister of War of Daqian, in charge of the Ministry of War of Daqian, and held a high position of power. However, ever since Cihang Pudu became the national teacher and there was a vixen in the harem who seduced the king, the whole Daqian has changed. A good loyal minister has become an evil minister who disobeys the king and was directly demoted to Yangzhou.
Well, Fu Tianchou used to be the general of Yangzhou Provincial Camp. Well, that is the 30,000 troops now controlled by Duke Mu. Also, because Fu Tianchou had been the Minister of War, he had many disciples in the army. Now many generals in Daqian are Fu Tianchou's men. Even if Fu Tianchou was dismissed, a single order could shake the entire Ministry of War of Daqian.
How could Zhuge Liang not know at this time that Jia Le had set his sights on Fu Tianchou? If Fu Tianchou could be brought to Sun Zichu's side, then his future conquest of the world would be like having divine help. Just think about it, wherever Sun Zichu goes in the future, the generals on the opposite side will all be Fu Tianchou's former subordinates. If he is at a disadvantage, there is nothing he can do, but if he is at an advantage, then he can simply persuade them to surrender, and the enemy army can be turned into a friendly army directly.
Not to mention the distant future, just looking at the immediate future, with Fu Tianchou as his card, Sun Zichu's own literary reputation, and the help of his teacher, he was able to leap out from both the civil and military realms in one leap.
With these two aspects, Sun Zichu's weak foundation suddenly became less obvious.
Thinking of this, Zhuge Wulong couldn't help but admire Jia Le. His grandson Zichu probably didn't even know that Jia Le had already paved the way for him before he even left Guobei County.
What a great life!
The financial situation of the Sun family is really not that good, and the reason why Zhuge Liang was willing to stay was largely because of Jiale.
"Master Fu is a loyal minister of the country. He really shouldn't end his life like this. However, if you save him, Master Fu would be a traitor. Do you think Master Fu would agree to this?"
This is also a problem that Zhuge Liang is concerned about. Fu Tianchou is famous for his blind loyalty. It is easy to rescue him, but it is difficult to make him work for Sun Zichu.
Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi looked at each other and nodded at the same time, "Even if we are rebels, we must not let our father die unjustly. If he dies unjustly, what is the difference between him and rebelling? It is better to keep our bodies useful and plan for the afterlife."
Fu Qingfeng and Fu Yuechi saw it better than Fu Tianchou. Even if Fu Tianchou died like this, he would still be known as a traitor. It's just that this is a turn that is sometimes difficult for people who have dedicated their entire lives to Daqian to turn around.
"In that case, just go ahead and do it. However, there is news that the demon master has already left Qiandu and is coming here. I'm afraid this matter will not be that simple."
Demon master!
Fu Qingfeng and Fu Mingyue were shocked when they heard this, and there was even more hatred in their eyes. You know, the reason why Fu Tianchou fell to this point was all thanks to the Demon Master Cihang Pudu. If it weren't for this guy who brought disaster to the country and the people, Daqian wouldn't even have come to this point.
Three miles away.
At this time, a group of people were coming towards Lanruo Temple. Judging from their attire, they were the decorations of the Daqian Jinyiwei.
The Jinyiwei of Daqian is the first violent organization besides the army. It is responsible for monitoring, summons, inspection, interrogation, and execution of cases within Daqian. With the long sword in the hand of Emperor Qian and the will of Emperor Qian, countless lives may be killed or injured by the long sword of the Jinyiwei.
Moreover, there are many experts in the Jinyiwei. No matter how arrogant the martial arts masters are, they dare not show off in front of the Jinyiwei.
"Master Fu, we are also working for the court. Please forgive us if we have offended you."
The captain in charge of escorting Fu Tianchou felt a little sorry for Fu Tianchou's miserable appearance in shackles, so he handed him a water bag and tried to comfort him.
Not all Jinyiwei were cruel and tyrannical. They knew Fu Tianchou's reputation. Seeing Fu Tianchou fall to this point, even this captain was puzzled. He couldn't understand what was going on in Daqian now. Thinking of the recent changes in Daqian, there was even more confusion in his eyes.
Fu Tianchou was also extremely thirsty and drank the water in big gulps. There was a hint of tenderness in his eyes as he looked at the captain.
Even to this day, what he hated the most was not the incompetent Emperor Qian, but the evil master Cihang Pudu and the evil queen who brought disaster to the country and the people. In Fu Tianchou's opinion, if it were not for these two evil monsters, the Qian Dynasty would never have fallen to this point. The reason why Emperor Qian was so foolish was because of the instigation of these two evil monsters.
Although Fu Tianchou had some dislike for the Jinyiwei who escorted him, such dislike was not directed at any one individual, but at the entire Jinyiwei. You know, the Jinyiwei has always had a very bad reputation in Daqian, and there is almost no Daqian official who does not dislike the Jinyiwei.
The team moved forward slowly and soon arrived near Lanruo Temple.
"Captain Zuo, there is an abandoned temple ahead. Do you want to take a break?"
A scout came back to report in advance. Captain Zuo looked at the team and observed the surroundings. The emperor would not let hungry soldiers go. Although the capital was urging them to go, they had already been traveling for two days. It was reasonable for them to take a rest. Otherwise, the rest of the journey would not be easy.
"Okay, let's set up camp inside that temple."
Inside Lanruo Temple.
roar!
Just when Fu Qingfeng and Fu Mingyue were lying in ambush again and Zhuge Liang and others were resting in the temple, a stone monster suddenly appeared in the temple.
This stone monster is not afraid of swords and weapons. Even if it is chopped and damaged, it can quickly reassemble itself. Its strength is not weak and it has already reached the level of Demon King. This Demon King has basically no shortcomings except for being slow. It makes Zhuge Liang a little difficult to deal with. For a while, even with the cooperation of Zhiqiu Yiye, it is difficult to take him down.
Calculating the time, the Jinyiwei escort team was about to arrive, and Zhuge Liang was a little anxious.
Woof!
Just when Zhuge Wulong was thinking about whether to launch a big move, a dog barking was heard. Before they could react, a big white dog appeared. It came to the front of the stone monster and opened its bloody mouth. The stone monster that had been so difficult for them just now was taken down directly.
Zhuge Wulong and Zhiqiu Yiye were both looking at the big dog in shock. The threat posed by the big dog to them was too great. Facing the fact that the big dog had taken down the stone monster, they did not relax at all. After all, if the big dog turned around and bit them, it would be like a tiger or a wolf.
However, after the big dog finished eating the stone monster, it frowned but did not attack them.
Looking at the big dog's expression, they actually realized something. It seemed that the big dog complained that the stone monster was not tasty.
"The master asked me to come. Why are you so nervous?"
The big dog turned around and looked at a few people, with a look of contempt in his eyes. He walked away with a domineering step and slowly disappeared into the temple.
Owner!
Zhuge Wulong couldn't help but look at Xiahou Jie, his eyes full of questions.
Xiahou Jie had never seen a celestial dog, but he heard from Wansheng that Jiale raised many spiritual beasts, and this celestial dog might be one of them. He just didn't expect that a dog could be so powerful.
"It should be one of the young master's spirit beasts."
After hearing what Xiahou Jie said, Zhuge Wulong was amazed and even more afraid of Jiale's strength. As the most knowledgeable person in Daqian, Zhuge Wulong knew a lot about cultivators. He didn't think Jiale would be so kind to help his grandson Zichu. Even if they were brothers, in the eyes of cultivators there were only two options: can they be used or not, not to mention that he was just a cousin.
Zhuge Wulong was very sure that Jiale had some plan, but he didn't know how big it was. Since Zhuge Wulong had already decided to help Sun Zichu, he would have thought of all aspects. A cultivator could not be an emperor, so he must not drive Emperor Qian off the throne and let Jiale bring disaster to the country.
Jiale naturally didn't know what Zhuge Liang was thinking.
Not far from Lanruo Temple, the Tengu slowly returned.
"Black Mountain Demon!"
Jia Le was not surprised at all. The stone monster was exactly the subordinate of the Black Mountain Old Demon. A year ago, the Black Mountain Old Demon's wedding procession came to Lanruo Temple, but found that Lanruo Temple was already empty. The group of tree monsters and ghosts did not leave any one behind. After knowing this situation, the Black Mountain Old Demon was a little surprised.
The Black Mountain Old Demon knew the details of the giant tree. He really didn't know who in the cultivation world could deal with the giant tree so easily.
Although the Black Mountain Old Demon had an arrogant personality, he was more cautious in his arrogance, so he sent one of his subordinates, the Demon King, to investigate.
From the memory of the stone monster's soul, Jiale also learned some information about the Black Mountain Demon.
It is indeed the realm of Demon Lord, and this Demon Lord has a record of fighting against the Jiaolong Demon Lord of the Jiaolong clan without being defeated. That Jiaolong Demon Lord has been famous for a long time. This battle also indirectly illustrates the strength of the Black Mountain Old Demon, which is definitely not as simple as a beginner in the realm of Demon Lord.
The Black Mountain may look inconspicuous, but it stretches for thousands of miles. The Black Mountain Old Demon has gathered hundreds of thousands of demons and monsters in the Black Mountain for his own use. His power is as great as those of the demon royal families. He is quite famous in the entire demon world and no one dares to underestimate him.
It really is a treasure trove of energy jewels!
Jiale sighed and thought to himself that after he had completed the task of saving Cihang, he would find time to test the Black Mountain Old Demon's abilities. If possible, he would take care of him. There were hundreds of thousands of demons and monsters, plus the Black Mountain Old Demon. Even if he didn't go to other immortal gates to eliminate the demons, it would be enough for Jiale to gather the energy he needed to survive the calamity.
"Brother, do you think I have already entered the door?"
Just when Jiale was thinking about something, a voice came from beside Jiale. Sun Qing asked Jiale in surprise. After careful consideration, she discovered that the little girl who came to Jiale with Sun Zichu had already started practicing and officially entered the realm of refining essence.
Jiale looked at Sun Qing and nodded. Sun Qing's qualifications were not bad. The Yin-Yang lineage was short of talents now. He was alone and it would not work without some disciples. Jiale did not want Taoist Zhenliang to force people in. In this case, he might as well find some disciples with good qualifications himself.
The first choice is naturally Sun Qing. The qualifications of this cousin are beyond doubt. As long as she practices step by step, there will be no problem for her to reach Si Luan's level in the future, which is enough to support the Yin and Yang lineage.
After Sun Zichu came to Guobei County, Sun Qing followed him. Jiale took this opportunity to teach Sun Qing the Maoshan Refining Essence Technique. Sun Qing lived up to Jiale's expectations and succeeded in breaking through within two days.
Lanruo Temple.
"Zuo Qianhu, there are people in the temple."
Yes! Someone!
Captain Zuo couldn't help but become alert when he heard that. The person he was escorting this time was not an ordinary person, but the former Minister of War. There were probably many people who wanted to rescue the prisoner. They didn't know how many troubles they had encountered along the way. They couldn't be careless. The Jinyiwei had strict rules. If he couldn't escort Fu Tianchou back to Kyoto safely, his job as Captain Zuo would be over.
"Keep an eye on Master Fu, the two of you follow me in and investigate!"
Without rushing to have his men set up camp, Captain Zuo gave some instructions and strode into Lanruo Temple, with his right hand on his sword, ready to take action at any time.
In Lanruo Temple, the Fu sisters hiding in the dark are ready to make a move.
Zhuge Wulong, Zhiqiu Yiye, Xiahou Jie and Ning Caichen also looked up at Zuo Qianhu who was walking into the temple.
Grand Master!
Xiahou Jie looked at Captain Zuo, felt his aura, and couldn't help but praise him. Although he was a man of the world, he had heard of this elite Jinyiwei.
The strength of Daqian Jinyiwei should not be underestimated. They almost suppress the entire martial arts world on their own. They have the most masters. Daqian has been established for a long time, and its foundation is unfathomable.
Jinyiwei was a third-rank official, with one commander, third-rank; two commanders, third-rank; two commanders, fourth-rank; two pacification envoys, fourth-rank; 14 thousand households, fifth-rank; deputy thousand households, fifth-rank; hundred households, sixth-rank; trial hundred households, sixth-rank; general flag, seventh-rank; small flag, seventh-rank. Under them were generals, lieutenants, and strongmen, and external officials included counselors and school commanders.
Xiahou Jie alone knew of four grand masters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This Captain Zuo is the chief officer of the Qianhu Office in Yangzhou and a prominent figure in Yangzhou. His reputation is much better than that of other Jinyiwei because he is a practical person who does not frame others. He is considered one of the few good officials in Jinyiwei.
There was also a bit of fighting spirit in Xiahou Jie's eyes when he looked at Zuo Qianhu. Heroes appreciate heroes, and masters are hard to come by. Now that he has met Zuo Qianhu, Xiahou Jie will not let him go and wants to have a big fight with him.
Captain Zuo's gaze also swept over the four people, and he became even more alert.
"I am Zuo Lu, a captain of the Imperial Guard. What are your names?"
