Youbao Chapter 46: Request for Help (1)
Facing Zhou Xuehai's smiling face, the old Taoist priest's tone seemed much more cautious: What do you want to do with him?
The blood I took last time was all used up. He looked at me with a smile, and that look made me feel like a beautiful virgin targeted by a vampire. Of course, I am not beautiful, nor a virgin, I am a real man! !
Why did you do this? The old Taoist asked again.
I can't tell you this yet. He took out a transparent cup from his pocket and threw it over: "I know you don't trust me, but I don't want to conflict with the Five Elements Meridian for the time being. Put a cup of blood, and I won't delay your departure."
The old Taoist priest took the cup but didn't move immediately. He lowered his head as if thinking. I was very embarrassed and angry.
Bleeding is fine, but why didn't either of them ask for my opinion? Is there a "don't ask" sign engraved on my forehead?
At this time, Jiao Ye squirmed and poked his head out from my arms, quickly climbed onto my shoulder, and looked at "Zhou Xuehai" curiously.
"Huh?" He cried out in surprise and looked at Jiao Ye carefully. Jiao Ye's head shrank at that look, and he quickly got into my arms again. It seems that both women and female snakes are afraid of this kind of lustful look.
He is a clever little fellow. "Zhou Xuehai" laughed: "Forget it, although... I won't compete with you for it. After all, you are the descendant of the Basuo lineage. I will show you some kindness so that we can meet again in the future."
I really wanted to say that we shouldn’t meet again, but the old Taoist priest didn’t say anything, so how could I dare to show up?
After a while, the old Taoist priest suddenly spoke: You did not help the three meridians of the Heavenly Corpse.
It makes no difference whether I help or not, I only provide information, but I am not their subordinate. "Zhou Xuehai" put his hands in his pockets calmly: Didn't the Zhou family also not help you with all their strength?
The old Taoist stopped talking, turned his head and looked at me: Stretch out your arms.
※※※
The dragon poked its head out of his arms, looked at me in silence, then looked at the old Taoist priest who cut my arm to draw blood, and suddenly hissed and shook its head. No matter how you look at it, it looks like it is sighing.
This little bastard!
After taking a cup of blood, I felt the blood in my hands and feet turn cold. The old Taoist took out a blood-replenishing pill and asked me to take it, then threw the cup back.
"Zhou Xuehai" took it and put it in his pocket, then turned and left. His action was so quick and sharp that I was stunned. I thought that he suddenly appeared here to give us a warning, but how could he leave so casually?
He is from the Corpse-Burial Sect, and was once a rival of the Celestial Corpse Sect. The old Taoist priest looked at his departing figure and said: It seems that what the Celestial Corpse Three Sects and Gamu did has nothing to do with him. At the very least, we don't have to worry about him interfering too much.
I don't think he is that powerful. Didn't you manage to control him single-handedly in Xishuangbanna? Why don't you just catch him and give him an account?
Do you know what is called corpse vein? The old Taoist priest's hand was shining with green light, and he rubbed it on my wound. My arm was slightly numb and itchy, and when the old Taoist priest's hand brushed it, the wound had already solidified into a scar, and it was about to fall off.
The mortician is to collect and bury the corpses. In ancient times, there were chaos everywhere, and people died all the time. In that period, all the sects related to corpses, death, and evil spirits could dominate. The mortician vein was the best among them. However, the Tianshi vein needed corpses to strengthen its strength, while the mortician had to bury the corpses, which was the source of the contradiction.
Burying corpses? What's the point? I wondered, if that's how you become powerful, wouldn't the employees at the crematorium be extremely powerful?
Why is it useless to bury human corpses? The old Taoist priest looked at me.
I groaned, feeling puzzled. Yes, why is burying a corpse useless? Isn't it also amazing that someone like the Taoist priest who doesn't touch corpses and doesn't attract the spirit of death is also amazing?
The human body is born from parents, but exists between heaven and earth. Humans are the favorites of heaven, born with spirituality. If heaven and earth have great fortune, then humans are the bridge to bear this great fortune. Some people get more and become emperors, while others get less and become ordinary people. People like me who practice cultivation use themselves to fight for more fortune. When you practice to the extreme, you are no different from an emperor.
If a person dies, their luck will dissipate. Therefore, the more people die in troubled times, the faster the dynasties change, and the more miserable the people live. It is for this reason that the undertakers help the corpses rest in peace, which is in accordance with the will of heaven and has their own luck to bless themselves. This is the source of their power.
There are hundreds of schools of thought, each with its own way. In today's peaceful and prosperous times, cremation is being promoted all over the world. The corpse-carrying lineage has no corpses to bury, so they can only travel between the farmlands in the countryside. But even so, there are fewer and fewer places for them to practice, and they are about to disappear.
Seventy years ago, the corpse-laying clan broke into the Zhou family, took away the Demon-Subduing Sword, and then made a big move together with Gamu and the three heavenly corpse clans. This is probably the reason.
So what was he planning to do? No matter what his plan was, there wouldn't be countless bodies for him to bury.
The so-called burial is just a situation. The most important thing for the corpse vein is to take away the luck that has not completely dissipated from the corpse. The old Taoist corrected my statement, and then he was also puzzled: From the current point of view, Gamu really wants to push the bronze armor corpse to the top level. As for what the corpse embalmer or the three veins of the heavenly corpse want to do, I don’t know.
The concept of luck is illusory, but it does seem to exist. For example, with so many people buying lottery tickets, you may spend 10,000 yuan and never win for several months, but someone only spends 2 yuan and wins the first prize. This is luck. You can't envy or be jealous of it.
But I didn't expect that the Corpse Undertaker could actually take away a portion of the luck from the dead. It was indeed an alien sect. In comparison, the Three Veins of Heavenly Corpse seemed much more normal. After all, zombie movies were almost ruined in the 1990s.
I wonder what the Zhong and Wei families are doing, the old Taoist muttered to himself.
As soon as he said that, I remembered that the Zhong and Wei families also came out of the Walking Corpse Vein Mountain. Now that the Walking Corpse Vein is hiding in the hills and doing something that angers the heavens and the people, I really don't believe that the Zhong and Wei families have not made any moves.
But it is too unrealistic to go find them. The old Taoist only knows the hiding places of the two families, but he doesn't know where they will go after they leave. Although the Tongming Jade Pendant is extremely powerful in investigation, the whole of China is so big that it is impossible for me to find them in a short time.
And judging from the old Taoist priest's expression, he didn't seem to intend to let me check it out.
Where do we go now? This is the question I get asked most often.
The old Taoist priest was silent for a moment, then said: Go find the Zhou family. Although they don't intend to go all out, one more person means one more strength.
How do I find them? Do you want me to...
No need. The old Taoist priest raised his hand to interrupt me, then took me and walked away.
I used the shrinking technique several times and paused for a while. After three pauses, we appeared in a deserted area. In the distance, we could see lights from the human world. Looking at the tall buildings that were faintly visible in the night, I suddenly felt that I seemed to be getting farther and farther away from there.
Although it was already summer, the nights were still cold. A gust of night wind blew by with a whistling sound, and I shivered as I hugged my arms.
The old Taoist priest walked into a bush, and I quickly followed him. After taking only two steps, the scene in front of me suddenly changed. A hill emerged, and the weeds under my feet turned into a quagmire, and several sharp swords appeared in front of me and stabbed towards me.
"break"
The old Taoist priest shouted softly, and several sharp swords shook slightly and disappeared miraculously.
At the same time, I heard someone say: It turns out that the master of the Five Elements Meridian has come, please forgive me.
It doesn't matter, it's a last resort, it's best to be careful, the old Taoist said calmly.
The scene in front of him changed again, and it returned to the wilderness. The three old men from the Zhou family came over, supporting each other. Under the moonlight, they all had bitter smiles on their faces.
I brought more than 40 family members, but only three of us survived. I have lost all my face. The old man in the light gold coat sighed, no longer as cold as before.
Bai Ling's corpses were all from important backgrounds when they were alive, and those people used evil methods, so their defeat was only expected. I came here this time just to ask if your Zhou family has other intentions. If so, I will turn around and leave. The old Taoist said.
I rolled my eyes when I heard this. Why did this old man always speak directly and not leave himself a way out? What if they really said no? You will really leave. Based on my understanding of the old Taoist priest, as long as the three old men in front of him said no, he would definitely take me away.
Our Zhou family is a family of demon-slayers, so our words are always binding. The old man in the light blue short coat looked pale, and if no one supported him, he would not even be able to stand steadily.
That's good. The old Taoist took out three health-preserving pills from his arms and handed them over: Swallow them and regulate your breathing for three hours.
The only one who was intact, the one who was holding the old man in the light blue short coat, took it and said: I have heard for a long time that the Five Elements Meridian is not only profound in Taoism, but also in alchemy. Seeing it today, it is indeed well-deserved.
The man was wearing a light red short coat, which made him look quite festive. Although he was old, he looked very kind. If I hadn't met him in this place and at this time, I would have thought he was just an ordinary old man enjoying his retirement.
No need for politeness, just take what you need. The old man's words are still straightforward, making people feel helpless.
Fortunately, the Zhou family didn't care. One of them took a health-preserving pill and swallowed it without even looking at it. Then they all sat cross-legged on the ground, closed their eyes and adjusted their breathing.
The old Taoist priest stood aside and watched. I was bored and hungry. I didn't feel anything just now, but now that I'm free, I realize that I'm so tired that my whole body aches.
I asked the Taoist priest for a few cold buns and a braised pig's trotter, then started eating them on a piece of grass.
Mr. Jiao seemed to smell something, crawled out of my arms, and looked curiously at the thing in my hand.
I was so hungry that I didn't care about it. I just ate and swallowed. Seeing that I ignored it, the dragon crawled along my arm and opened its mouth to bite the pig's trotter. I subconsciously took the pig's trotter away, but it took the opportunity to wrap itself around it.
open!
Hiss...
If you don’t let go, I’ll beat you!
Hiss, hiss, hiss…
If you don't let me go, I'll eat you too!
Hiss hiss hiss…
In the end, the fight ended with us reconciling.
I sat on the grass and ate the buns, while Jiao Ye nestled in my arms and ate the meat. The pig's trotter was really big, so I had to tear it into small pieces to feed it.
I tore off a piece of flesh the size of a fingernail and lifted it high. The dragon hissed and screamed anxiously, stretching its neck but unable to bite. When it got tired, I lowered my hand and lifted it up immediately when it tried to stand up.
While teasing Mr. Jiao, I looked at the three old men of the Zhou family.
The old Taoist priest told me that these were the three senior law enforcement elders of the Zhou family. The sky is high and the earth is vast, so the seniority of these three is higher than that of the Zhou family grandfather who died in the Changping battlefield.
Above that, there are the elders of the Tian generation. They are all old antiques who have lived for hundreds of years and rarely come out. For those who practice cultivation, living to be over a hundred years old is not difficult. And the older they are, the more profound their Taoism becomes.
The so-called Law Enforcement Hall is actually an external combat unit. Whether it is Zhou Guangyun, the two brothers Zhou Guangji and Zhou Guangsheng, or the dozens of Zhou family disciples who died at the hands of Bai Ling Corpse not long ago, they all belong to the Law Enforcement Hall.
The old Taoist priest's methods were slightly better than those of the senior generation, but they were naturally inferior to those centenarian elders. This was also because his master was ambushed, and the two disciples were fighting over a woman, which made him angry and a minor illness turned into a major disease, which led to his untimely death.
Otherwise, how many people would dare to provoke the Five Elements? If I can't beat your whole family, can't I just secretly catch one and beat him up? Sooner or later, I will beat up all of them.
But now, even the four white-feathered zombies of the walking corpse vein could be beaten and the old Taoist fled in panic.
Perhaps the old Taoist priest had also thought of this. I had seen him sighing and mumbling to himself more than once. Listening closely, I could see that he was talking about his junior fellow apprentice.
If my junior brother were still alive, he would have been as powerful as my master.
After more than 20 years of separation, the old Taoist priest still missed his junior brother, so one can imagine the relationship between the two brothers back then. And judging from what he said, if his junior brother was still alive, he would be almost as powerful as his master now.
It is true that God is jealous of talented people.
Three hours, that is, six hours.
I finished eating the buns, played with Mr. Jiao, and slept for a long time. When I woke up, the three old men from the Zhou family were talking to the old Taoist priest.
I still don't know their names. The old Taoist priest never asked or told me, and they never mentioned their names to each other. Just talk, get straight to the point.
For convenience, and also because I was too bored, I distinguished them by the color of their clothes into blue old man, gold old man, and red old man.
Hearing me silently reciting these names, Mr. Jiao, who was half asleep, shook his head, and when he saw that nothing was wrong, he fell on my legs and stopped moving.
The loss today is huge, and I need to report to the master. What do you plan to do? Old Man Lan asked.
This depends on when the Zhou family wants to take back the Demon-Subduing Sword, the old Taoist said.
Old Man Lan laughed out of habit, bowed and said: Of course the sooner the better. We will contact the head of the family right away, and when the head of the family has made arrangements, we will talk to the expert.
The old Taoist priest hummed, bowed casually, then turned and walked away as if he was about to leave.
I looked at the old man Lan who was smiling at me, then at the Taoist who had already left, and said a few words to the old men in panic. I felt that I couldn't say anything nice, so I simply grabbed Jiao Ye and chased after the Taoist.
Why did you leave like this? I asked him when I caught up with him.
What's the point of staying here now? I've protected them for three hours, and that's the most I can do. The old Taoist said indifferently.
Well... that's true... but...
I think this is not good, but I can’t really say why it’s wrong. It seems like a matter of politeness?
The old Taoist said: People who practice cultivation naturally act according to their own convenience, and there are no so many mundane rules to follow. Moreover, they don’t have much connection with the Zhou family. If there is benefit, they will say good things, and if there is no benefit, they will go their separate ways.
What the old Taoist said does make some sense, but it is hard for me to accept. This may be the difference between ordinary people and practitioners.
So where are we going now?
After asking this question, I found myself like Sha Wujing. The third apprentice brother always said: Big Brother, Master has been captured by monsters! Big Brother, the second apprentice brother and Master have all been captured by monsters! Big Brother, don’t leave!
And I also have three sentences: Where are we going? What are we going for? What should we do now...
Let’s go back to the Taoist temple first, said the old Taoist priest.
I naturally have no objection. As long as there is no danger, it doesn't matter where we go.
A few dozen minutes later, we returned to the Five Elements Mountain. The old Taoist priest seemed to have great respect for this place, and he always reached the mountainside with the Earth-Shrinking Technique. There was a sudden mountain staircase in front of us, and we had to walk up step by step.
However, just as the Taoist temple came into view, the old Taoist suddenly flew up without a sound. Seeing his hurried figure, I was startled. Could something have happened in the Taoist temple?
But, there are no people or even ghosts in the Taoist temple. What could have happened?
Seeing the old Taoist priest disappear after a few rises and falls, I quickly cast a spell to catch up with him. Only by entering the state of nothingness can I barely keep up with him. Moreover, if there is any danger in the Taoist temple, I can also protect myself.
After climbing the mountain ladder, I soon saw the Taoist temple. The door was wide open, and I didn't know if it was opened by the Taoist master or someone else. I relied on the magic to protect my body and walked in with a swagger.
At this moment, the old Taoist suddenly jumped out of the room like a madman. Even though the vision in front of me was unusual, I could still see the old man's red eyes. I released the spell and asked him loudly: What's wrong?
The old Taoist priest's face was gloomy: Someone came to the Taoist temple to steal things.
Huh? Are you here to steal? Your forehead is...
The box containing the stone beast and the secret book was stolen, and the Wood Spirit Pill was gone too! The old Taoist gnashed his teeth, and I was dumbfounded. This thief... was too skilled.
Don't you have a secret place? Like a safe or something...
The old Taoist priest glared at me fiercely. Looking at his still red eyes, I realized that I should be obedient at this time.
Mr. Jiao had just woken up. He stuck his head out and saw his home. He immediately climbed off me and happily circled on the ground.
The Taoist temple is protected by the law of Taoism, and the selflessness is lifted. Ordinary people can't see it at all. It must be a person who practices. The old Taoist's face was as gloomy as if water was about to drip. This time he was really angry.
Not to mention him, even I hated him so much that I gritted my teeth.
I won't talk about the stone beasts, but the Wood Spirit Pill! That's something that can save lives! I follow the Taoist priest every day, and I never know when my life will be in danger, and I will have to rely on this thing to save my life. Of course, the Taoist priest may not be willing to give it to me, after all, this is the only and possibly the last Wood Spirit Pill in the world.
Who is it? The old Taoist priest’s tone was full of murderous intent, even stronger than when he wanted to kill Gamu.
I suddenly remembered that in addition to the stone beast, the wooden box also contained the Taoist secret book of the Five Elements.
For the inheritance of a sect, this is just like the password on a rich man's bankbook. Once lost, it's embarrassing, not to mention that if your password is taken away by someone, how can it still be a secret? Moreover, if someone else learns it and causes trouble in the name of the Five Elements Meridian, it will be troublesome.
Therefore, the loss of the secret book is even more serious than the loss of the Wood Spirit Pill.
Is there any tracking mark on the wooden box? For example, satellite positioning or something...
This seemed to remind the old Taoist, he put his hand together and pointed it at his sword, and cut a line on his arm. Then he pulled his finger randomly, and a trickle of blood was drawn out like pulling a thread.
The old Taoist priest took a step forward, moving with a strange gait, and at the same time drew blood talismans in the air .
This step was very strange, like the Seven Star Steps that the wizards in Hong Kong and Taiwan movies used when they were performing a ritual. But the old Taoist's was obviously much simpler. After a few steps, a blood-colored light symbol half the size of a person standing in the air was completed.
At this time, I heard a "click" sound from the side. I looked down and saw that it was Mr. Jiao who was imitating the old Taoist's steps, but he twisted himself into a bow again... Now it was rolled into a twist and looked at me eagerly.
I doubt if this guy will stay like this forever if I am not around him. I picked it up from the ground and untied it while watching the old Taoist perform the spell.
The old Taoist made a seal with both hands at the same time and shouted softly: The five elements of heaven and earth, the great way is my self. Take blood as the shape, call the law of heaven and earth, and point the way!
The blood-red light symbol flashed and immediately turned into a blood-red light spot as big as a fist. It instantly flew out of the Taoist temple and moved forward at an extremely fast speed. It disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The old Taoist took the seal and was about to take a step forward. I quickly shouted: Take me with you! If you are close, I can find him.
The old Taoist priest grabbed my arm without hesitation and took a step forward.
I don't know what kind of Taoist magic the blood-guiding talisman is, but it's incredibly fast. Even with my old Taoist's shrinking technique, I can only just keep up. If it were me, even if I used it, I wouldn't be able to catch up with that thing. It's simply a flying machine in the talisman.
I couldn't speak in the shrinking technique, so I could only hold on to Master Jiao tightly to prevent him from moving. If he fell halfway, he would be several miles away in an instant. Although Master Jiao could run back like a dog, wouldn't it delay my efforts?
The light symbol flew fast and far, but as time passed, its color became lighter and lighter. Looking at the Taoist's increasingly gloomy expression, I wondered if this thing was also reaching its limit.
Although the old Taoist priest seemed to have taken a tonic pill and had no abnormality in taking eight or nine steps in a row, I knew he was just holding on. By the time the blood talisman completely dissipated, he must have been exhausted.
