Outside Two Li from Four-Eyed Daoist’s Home,
On the Difficult Mountain Path.
"My senior martial brother scared that Su City God!"
Daoist Qianhe pondered in his heart, finally arriving at this conclusion; otherwise, he truly could not understand the conversation between Liu Xiu and the Su City God.
And, should he really recite a poem or not?
I don’t know how to do this!!
Thinking this, Daoist Qianhe turned to look at Liu Xiu, who was walking at the very back of the procession. He saw Liu Xiu happily biting a gold bar in his left hand, then biting a silver bar in his right hand as he said,
"Seeing the gold and silver bars… ptooey, seeing that you’re so sincere, I’ll let bygones be bygones and forgive your father’s earlier offense…"
"...But you’d better not, just to win my forgiveness, sneak into your father’s treasury to steal elixir pills that increase cultivation or secret manuals of divine abilities for me. Hey, don’t you really go, honestly…"
"..."
You could say your last line a little louder!
Daoist Qianhe retorted silently in his heart, choosing to pretend he hadn’t heard Liu Xiu deliberately slowing his footsteps for the last few sentences. When Liu Xiu came before him, he asked doubtfully,
"Could it be that you knew beforehand that this Miss Su is the daughter of the Su City God?"
He asked this mainly because he recalled that Liu Xiu hadn’t seemed too distressed when Miss Su died before.
"I don’t know, but I can tell her fortune is extraordinary…" Liu Xiu quickly stowed the gold and silver bars as he explained.
The way Liu Xiu acted, as if afraid someone would snatch them, made Daoist Qianhe’s mouth twitch twice. To be honest, he wasn’t short of…
Fine, he was short of money!
But he wouldn’t take his martial nephew’s money!
Liu Xiu didn’t notice Daoist Qianhe’s expression and continued explaining. He had indeed noticed something wrong with Miss Su from the start.
Compared to that unlucky Madam Liu, this Miss Su was faintly emanating an orange-gold halo representing official fortune.
And it was covered with a light purple layer on the outside. At first, Liu Xiu had only thought Miss Su was the daughter of some great official in life, but who knew she was the daughter of the local City God.
Well, in a sense, his earlier guess wasn’t wrong. After all, Su City God had been a great local official in life, and became a City God because of his good reputation and virtue.
After explaining, Liu Xiu, now roughly understanding why Daoist Qianhe had asked, curled his lips and continued, "Besides, she’s following in her father’s footsteps down there, fulfilling the City God dream of two generations. Why should I be sad? Besides, she died in a grand and glorious way…"
"?"
Huh? Grand and glorious?
Daoist Qianhe frowned, recalling Miss Su’s charred corpse, and looked at Liu Xiu—who spoke with a barbed tone—with a strange expression.
Wait, why do I feel like you’re jealous?
Daoist Qianhe looked at Liu Xiu with an even stranger and more puzzled expression. Then he saw Liu Xiu stop and look at several jade bottles that had appeared at his feet. "So you really went back and stole them? Aren’t you afraid your father will beat you? Fine, then I won’t stand on ceremony!"
"?"
Wait, she spoke?
Is it your ears that have a problem?
Or my ears?
Daoist Qianhe looked utterly baffled, and then he saw Liu Xiu stop, take an umbrella out of his storage thumb ring, and open it.
"Come in!"
Miss Su’s ghostly form immediately appeared, sharing one umbrella with Liu Xiu, causing Daoist Qianhe to stare with wide eyes.
Hey, I’m still right here!
And at least wait until night!
Ptooey, at least save me some face!
Soon, Daoist Qianhe realized he was overthinking it and had thought too poorly of his martial nephew.
He saw Liu Xiu hand the umbrella to Miss Su, take out a Bagua mirror from his storage thumb ring, and mutter, "Moonlight is also sunlight," as he formed hand signs and chanted,
"Taiyin flows with radiance, moonlight shines upon…
The three souls shine bright, the seven poises glow clear.
Mirror reflects back, old face returns to the body.
Swiftly, swiftly, as commanded by the Lunar Star Lord!"
Liu Xiu formed hand signs and chanted, pointing a finger at the Bagua mirror in his hand. As the mirror spun on its own, he held it outside the umbrella to draw down Moonlight Essence from the sky.
Moonlight Essence was drawn and guided; Liu Xiu aimed the Bagua mirror at Miss Su’s somewhat mangled face and flipped it to shine once.
In an instant, the ugly forehead and bloodstains on Miss Su—caused by her smashing into a tree—disappeared, revealing a pretty face.
"?"
Good grief!
It’s daytime, isn’t it?
How are you casting the Taiyin Reflection Incantation!
Daoist Qianhe stared with wide eyes, looking as if he’d seen a ghost, and raised his head to look at the sun in the sky, while also thinking about the Moonlight Essence Liu Xiu had just drawn down.
He now doubted not only his ears but also his eyes.
The Taiyin Reflection Incantation was a rather obscure but not unorthodox art. It used the power of lunar Moonlight Essence to help ghosts with gruesome deaths restore their appearance from life.
This spell was generally used when ghosts met with their living relatives. After all, a ghost’s death appearance was usually terrifying, and without this spell, trouble could easily ensue.
He himself had almost run into trouble back then. Ahem, but that wasn’t important. Daoist Qianhe was now more curious about how Liu Xiu had drawn on Moonlight Essence.
After all, it was broad daylight!
And what was "moonlight is also sunlight"?
This was Moonlight Essence! Moonlight Essence and moonlight weren’t the same!
Daoist Qianhe, who had long known from the Yunqi Qijian that moonlight was sunlight reflected, raised his head to look at the sun high in the sky.
Not to mention, it was dazzling,
so dazzling that his expression grew increasingly blank.
"Have I gone astray in my cultivation…"
Daoist Qianhe began to doubt his life and examine his own cultivation. He now doubted not only his hearing and sight but also whether his cultivation had gone wrong!
At the same time, he felt his Dao heart was a little uncomfortable.
Compared to the overthinking Daoist Qianhe, Liu Xiu under the umbrella hadn’t thought so much. He was just sizing up Miss Su, whose cheeks were slightly flushed.
Speaking of which, this girl was much prettier than Madam Liu, just a bit small. Of course, "small" here didn’t refer to her age.
Specifically, as described in the following comparison:
Madam Liu:
Head down, she can’t see shoes or road;
Lifting her bowl, she always stains her clothes with oil.
Miss Su:
Head down to watch the road, no worries;
Shoelace loose, she can spot it.
After reciting the poem, Liu Xiu raised an eyebrow, feeling that he should read fewer miscellaneous storybooks lately, lest he end up with nothing but doggerel on his lips.
The ones watching Miss Su weren’t only Liu Xiu, but also Vice Minister Wu’s party at the very front and Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei.
However, compared to the four curious ones, Vice Minister Wu’s party had much more complex gazes.
Their expressions went from initial fear to curiosity, then to awkwardness. But just as they turned awkward, a cold snort of unknown origin suddenly rang out.
Hmph—
Like thunderclaps, like thunderous roar. In an instant, sand flew and rocks rolled, dust filled the sky. A sudden violent wind blew Vice Minister Wu’s party this way and that as they screamed and fell to the ground.
Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei, who were clearly only a few meters away but hadn’t been blown by the wind, exchanged fearful glances and then dared not look at Miss Su, the City God’s daughter, again.
Such boldness!
Don’t they know this woman’s father is a City God?
Liu Xiu muttered in his heart, thinking that even if these people didn’t die this time, they wouldn’t have it easy when they returned.
He looked at Miss Su before him and said, "Not bad, not bad. This looks much more pleasant than your previous bloody state…"
"...Alright, you should head back now. Do you see? Your father is pointing at me again. If you don’t go back soon, your father will suddenly pop out again to recite poems and scare me…"
Liu Xiu spoke to send the ghost away. He meant nothing else by it; he was simply speaking the truth. In the darkness, Su City God, who had suddenly appeared three hundred meters away wearing an official’s cap, clenched his fists.
The Warden Clerk beside him saw this and said, "My lord, this boy is incredibly arrogant. Shall this subordinate go out and teach him a lesson?"
"..."
To be honest,
do you want to be the City God yourself?
Or do you suddenly not want to be the Warden Clerk anymore?
Su City God glanced at the Warden Clerk beside him—who was even more hotheaded than the Warden Clerk—and said, "Have you forgotten that his master is that Daoist Shi? You want to go teach him a lesson? I’m afraid you’re just asking to be hit by a thunder art from a thousand li away!"
"A thousand li away? Thunder art?"
Are you sure this is still thunder art?
And not some sword cultivator’s flying sword technique?
The Warden Clerk stared with wide eyes, shocked. Su City God, seeing that the Warden Clerk’s expression was not feigned, explained,
"Well, my distant cousin once saw that True Person Shi take action. That scene… tsk tsk tsk, it was truly terrifying!"
"Hiss! Huh? My lord, I remember your distant cousin went to the underworld to carve out a kingdom because he ate people, right? When he saw True Person Shi… doesn’t that mean he…"
"Right, he was killed by True Person Shi!"
"Ah this…"
"It’s fine. Distant cousin, not close, no heartache!"
"..."
To be honest,
I really don’t know how to respond!
The Warden Clerk could only lower his head in silence, while Su City God gritted his teeth in hatred as he watched Liu Xiu trading barbs with his daughter in front of her.
Su City God’s thoughts were unknown to Liu Xiu. He was simply urging Miss Su to leave, still saying the same thing: what if Su City God scared him again?
One side, Daoist Qianhe, who had discovered his cultivation was fine, was busy digging hard at his own ears with his hand.
He looked blankly confused, listening to the birdsong and insect chirping around him, then looking at Miss Su, who hadn’t spoken at all.
Hey, how exactly are you two communicating?
Pondering this, Daoist Qianhe saw Liu Xiu say something quietly that he didn’t hear clearly, and then Miss Su was gone. Only Liu Xiu, closing his umbrella and walking past him, suddenly spoke:
"The Su family has a daughter named Wan’er,
Gentle as the clear autumn moon, half a wheel.
Caring for the common folk, she often does good,
Not contending with the people for even an inch.
On her return journey she met bandits and dust,
All starving refugees forced to be neighbors.
Bandits surrounded her with foul words,
Wan’er glared furiously at the bandits.
Rather than smash into Green Mountain to preserve her purity,
She would not let filth stain her body…"
"Rather than smash into Green Mountain to preserve her purity, she would not let filth stain her body…" Daoist Qianhe’s pupils shrank. In his heart, he praised what a chaste and loyal woman.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly blinked, apparently understanding what Liu Xiu meant by "grand and glorious," and then he heard Liu Xiu quietly grumbling,
"A loss. A few bottles of elixir pills and some gold and silver in exchange for my backing as Shi Jian’s disciple. This is the position of the next City God. If I’d known, I’d have asked for more just now…"
"..."
Can’t you keep anything but money on your mind?
Daoist Qianhe rolled his eyes, but he could tell Liu Xiu was just putting on a tough front. He felt that even without those vulgar things, Liu Xiu would still speak up to back Miss Su as a woman of loyalty and chastity.
The reason?
He felt he understood this martial nephew!
This martial nephew—though he sometimes spoke even more like a senior martial brother than the senior martial brother himself, sometimes didn’t take him seriously, and sometimes sniped at him, this martial uncle…
Hmm? Hmm? Hmm…
Daoist Qianhe’s brow furrowed again and again, suddenly realizing he didn’t understand his senior martial brother’s second disciple, Liu Xiu, after all.
But not understanding was not understanding. He still remembered when Liu Xiu had previously let Miss Su appear before him.
Liu Xiu had first said to him, "This is a female ghost who would rather die than submit, who would rather die than suffer disgrace to her chastity."
Just as he was thinking this,
he heard Liu Xiu say.
"Martial Uncle, what rank is the Su City God?"
"How? Regretting it now? Want to go down and be your City God?" Daoist Qianhe said with a kindly smile.
Seeing Liu Xiu not reply, he continued to explain with a smile: "Su City God should be a fifth-rank underworld divine official. How about it? Want this martial uncle to help you with corpse liberation!"
Daoist Qianhe’s eyebrows danced with excitement. He stroked the peach-wood sword on his body, looking eager to try.
Don’t misunderstand. He had no other meaning. He just wanted to help this martial nephew, to give this good martial nephew a quick end.
Purely helping, with no personal grudge whatsoever!
No private grievances mixed in!
"..."
Just wait to be corpse-resolved by an imperial-clan jiangshi!
Liu Xiu rolled his eyes, frowned slightly, and said, "He puts on such airs. Is fifth rank really a bit low?"
"Low! Do you have any idea how many years your grandmaster has been troubled trying to secure the position of Underworld Bank Taipan for your second martial uncle, without solving it yet? Do you know that’s only a sixth-rank underworld divine official? This is fifth rank, and you still say it’s low? Do you really think underworld divine officials are cabbage!"
Daoist Qianhe glared and spoke, taking it for granted that his martial nephew didn’t know how difficult it was to become an underworld divine official.
"Hard? Isn’t it just a matter of a word from me?"
"..."
Don’t say it—it really is just a matter of a word from you!
Daoist Qianhe’s expression froze for a moment. Then he looked at Liu Xiu with a strange expression—someone with great potential as a live-in son-in-law, in other words, handsome enough—and said, "You’re not really thinking of becoming a live-in son-in-law, are you?"
He asked this mainly because he could tell that Miss Su, the City God’s daughter, liked Liu Xiu.
Now thinking back to Su City God’s attitude when he first appeared, he felt that if it weren’t for his senior martial brother’s renowned fame scaring Su City God, Liu Xiu would probably already be down there performing the wedding ceremony with Miss Su, maybe even in the bridal chamber by now.
"Just kidding. I’m not going. Wait until my master becomes the Maoshan sect leader in the future, and then waits for him to ascend. By then the sect leader position…"
Liu Xiu didn’t continue, because he noticed Daoist Qianhe’s expression had turned strange. He raised an eyebrow and changed the subject:
"How? You don’t agree with my master becoming sect leader?"
"I certainly agree!"
Daoist Qianhe immediately spoke, but his expression became even stranger. Liu Xiu’s heart stirred, and he didn’t continue the topic.
He changed the subject, or rather, brought up his senior martial brother Shi Shaojian’s talent. After a few sentences, Liu Xiu’s inner self looked as if seeing a ghost, watching Daoist Qianhe ask circuitous questions.
Daoist Qianhe didn’t ask anything else. He just asked circuitously whether Liu Xiu had noticed that Shi Shaojian’s form of address to Shi Jian was wrong.
Obviously,
Daoist Qianhe knew Shi Shaojian’s identity!
This made Liu Xiu feel it was wrong yet reasonable. It was wrong because Shi Jian’s attitude had always given the impression that no one knew Shi Shaojian was his illegitimate son. It was reasonable because the world now had the Heavenly Court and the underworld, and within Maoshan’s Main Altar grotto-heaven and blessed land lived a group of old grandfathers and grandmothers who could calculate everything.
Since they could calculate everything, Liu Xiu felt it was absolutely impossible to hide that Shi Shaojian was Shi Jian’s illegitimate son.
"But Shi Jian’s attitude…"
Liu Xiu thought it over, and suddenly understood. Shi Jian naively thought he had concealed it!
But actually, he had never concealed it at all!
It was still the same thing: there were too many people in this world who could calculate everything. Moreover, as the senior martial brother, Shi Jian’s every move was being watched!
The matter of Shi Shaojian simply couldn’t be concealed. Everyone just chose to turn a blind eye.
Or,
had Shi Jian deceived himself just like Shi Shaojian?
Thinking took only an instant. Seeing Qianhe waiting for his answer, Liu Xiu naturally chose to turn a blind eye and play dumb in answering this question about the form of address.
Next, Liu Xiu asked Daoist Qianhe about the Underworld Bank Taipan position again. He meant nothing else by it.
It was just that Lin Jiu becoming the Taipan meant his master Shi Jian could naturally become one too!
Failing that, he could take the position himself. If all else failed, there was his senior martial brother who had become more resistant to electricity. It didn’t have to be Lin Jiu.
"Well… closeness and distance are different…"
Daoist Qianhe gave an embarrassed smile and said a word that Liu Xiu found somewhat inappropriate and puzzling.
But as Daoist Qianhe continued, Liu Xiu was no longer puzzled. He only heard Daoist Qianhe say with an embarrassed smile,
"Although I told you before that the senior martial brother was taught by our master, and we were taught by the senior martial brother, our master actually had more than one..."
Daoist Qianhe spoke with an embarrassed smile, then said in a low voice, "The person who planned the Underworld Bank Taipan position for your second martial uncle is your second martial uncle’s master, not your master’s master. He is your second grandmaster, and also the current Maoshan Sect sect leader, True Person Heavenly Bright!"
I don’t know why, but I feel like the sky is getting dark!
Liu Xiu muttered in his heart and frowned slightly. "Then what about my biological grandmaster? Didn’t he plan anything for my master?"
"Er, Senior Grandmaster has already passed away..."
"Oh..."
No wonder I’ve never heard my master mention his grandmaster! It turns out this damn... biological grandmaster has gone down below!
Liu Xiu shifted the subject. He meant nothing else. He just felt that respect for departed elders should come from the bottom of one’s heart!
"However, your biological grandmaster serves in the underworld!"
Daoist Qianhe said with a smile, watching Liu Xiu’s expression change from brusque to respectful, finding it very amusing.
"Martial Uncle, come look at my Crimson Firmament Sword!" Liu Xiu said with a smile, taking the foot-long Crimson Firmament Sword from his pocket, enlarging it, and handing it over.
Daoist Qianhe found it strange that Liu Xiu’s attitude had suddenly changed, but he was still curious and took it to carefully examine this Crimson Firmament Sword, whose swordlight he found very domineering.
To be honest,
this sword’s swordlight was truly domineering!
Daoist Qianhe had only looked for a while when he felt his eyes becoming uncomfortable, with a worsening trend.
Wait? Worsening?
Just one or two minutes later, Daoist Qianhe’s eyes were swollen down to a single slit. He looked expressionlessly at Liu Xiu, who had taken back the Crimson Firmament Sword, his fist clenched tightly. He saw Liu Xiu say, "Oh no!"
"Oh no, Martial Uncle, I forgot to tell you. This sword is very ferocious. Except for me, others shouldn’t even touch it—just staring at it for a while can cause trouble!"
"Oh..."
Liu Xiu, you wait for me!
Daoist Qianhe fumed with anger and glared fiercely at Liu Xiu with his eyes. The scene was as follows!
(ー`´ー)
（■.■）
After glaring, Daoist Qianhe walked ahead. Don’t misunderstand. He wasn’t afraid that if he beat up Liu Xiu, his senior martial brother would beat him.
How could that be? He wasn’t afraid at all.
He just didn’t want to stoop to Liu Xiu’s level!
"You want to help me with corpse liberation!"
Believe it or not, I’ll stand by and watch you die so you get corpse-resolved!
Liu Xiu curled his lips and silently retorted, choosing not to see Daoist Qianhe glare at him again. He put away the Crimson Firmament Sword and came to the black jiangshi being led by Bei among Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei to inspect it.
After confirming that the black robe on the black jiangshi was enough to block sunlight, he nodded in satisfaction. As for Daoist Qianhe’s eyes, he wasn’t worried.
He had estimated that Daoist Qianhe’s eyes would be swollen for at most a day, with no serious trouble. Just treat it as enjoying good fortune early.
Pondering this, Liu Xiu’s gaze looked toward two wooden houses two hundred meters ahead. The effect of his immortal aspect—jade-green eyes and square pupils—stacked with the Three-Light Primordial Magnetism Body-Refining Art’s prototype magnetic field martial dao allowed him to see very clearly that someone was beating up Lai Fu…
Ptooey, should say was being beaten black and blue by the jiangshi and crying out in pain—Four-Eyed Daoist. This made him frown as he looked toward Daoist Qianhe, who was walking in front of him.
Daoist Qianhe’s vision wasn’t as good as Liu Xiu’s, and his sight was currently obstructed. Feeling Liu Xiu’s gaze, he turned his head with a dark old face and asked,
"Hmm? What’s wrong?"
"Nothing!"
Liu Xiu shook his head. His gaze went directly to the bronze-cornered golden coffin. To be honest, the situation before him was very strange.
In the original Uncle Jiangshi story, there were Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei to help push the coffin. As a result, the group only arrived the day after Four-Eyed Daoist returned home!
But now? Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei weren’t helping push the bronze-cornered golden coffin. Instead, they had arrived on the very first day Four-Eyed Daoist returned home!
Good, good, good,
So I’m the only honest one?
"In other words, the honest ones aren’t honest!"
Of course, except for this honest one himself!
Liu Xiu expressionlessly watched the dishonest Daoist Qianhe and his five people, then raised an eyebrow to look at the very front, where three imperial palace experts suddenly swayed and then fell to the ground with a thud.
The three imperial palace experts looked pleadingly at him, crawling with outstretched hands, begging, "Daoist, save us…"
"Heh…"
I’ve said I’m about to laugh!
Liu Xiu hehhed at the three, then raised an eyebrow to look further ahead at the three men and one woman who had come running upon hearing the sound.
That was Four-Eyed Daoist’s group!
...
Meanwhile,
God Xiao Sect, Main Hall.
Several old Daoists with crane hair and childlike faces, looking ethereal and Daoist, and several young Daoists with various expressions watched the scene presented on a huge water screen in midair.
The person in the picture was no one else—
Shi Jian, killing, killing, killing in the Demon Realm!
Shi Jian, with twenty-four iron beads circling his body!
"Um, which senior of our God Xiao Sect is this?" an old Daoist who had clearly been in seclusion for many years asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, all those who knew turned black in the face. After this ignorant old Daoist learned the truth, he hurriedly coughed.
"Cough cough, one who hears the Way has seniority or juniority. Fellow Daoist Shi’s thunder arts are so profound. Calling him a senior isn’t out of line..."
The old Daoist argued with his head bowed, but unfortunately no one paid him any attention. Everyone just silently frowned, watching the thunder arts on the light screen that could take a life from a thousand li away.
In the end,
a purple-robed True Person said in a deep voice.
"Maoshan is trying to create new thunder arts..."
The same voice echoed throughout the great sects of the cultivation world that mastered thunder arts. When the news reached the hands of Maoshan’s current sect leader, True Person Heavenly Bright, he scratched his head with a baffled expression.
"What are new thunder arts?"
My Maoshan has always played with talismans! You Daoists, how can you open your mouths and groundlessly sully our purity!
And when did thunder arts become able to take a life from a thousand li away? Is this thing even still thunder arts?
True Person Heavenly Bright felt that the sky hadn’t darkened yet, and those fellow Daoists were already dreaming, and trying to slander his Maoshan Sect with a dream.
But upon seeing news of inquiries about new thunder arts coming one after another from fellow Daoists, True Person Heavenly Bright frowned and grew doubtful.
"Did I really only sleep for one month this time?"}
Chapter 43