Strange Stories

Chapter 556 I came down to work overtime today
In Yangzhou city today, apart from the ten-mile Spring Breeze Road and the long street where magicians are performed, Dingfeng Temple is the most lively place.

This is a temple in the city, dedicated to the Purple Emperor and many gods mainly from the southern pantheon, as well as local gods and even Buddhist gods. When the people in the city come out to enjoy the lanterns, they are also willing to come here to worship the gods in the temple, burn a stick of incense and make a wish.

A group of Taoists also came here.

The temple was crowded with people, and the smell of incense was like visible faith.

"May the Great Emperor bless me to make a fortune next year..."

"Please bless my son to pass the imperial examination..."

"May Yuanjun bless my whole family with good health..."

Some people even closed their eyes and prayed silently without making any sound, but the voices in their hearts seemed to be heard by the Taoists along with the wafting aroma of incense.

"It's so lively!"

"What are you doing here?" asked a very fair female Taoist priest in confusion.

"We came to watch the fun." Lin Jue replied, "We also came to worship the gods! We cultivators, when we see palaces, temples, how can we not come to worship the gods?"

As they were talking, it was their turn.

The eldest and second eldest brothers each took three incense sticks. One went to the middle to worship the main god of the south, Jade Mirror Emperor, and the other went to the courtyard to worship the local earth god in front of the small temple that was as tall as a person. Then they exchanged incense sticks, thanking Jade Mirror Emperor for taking care of them when they were refining the elixir, and prayed that the gods would protect the people here from good weather and no disturbance from demons.

The junior sister also took three incense sticks and went to worship Lord Yili.

Lin Jue also took three incense sticks, first glanced at the God of Ku Nian, then walked to the newly built statue of Yue Zhao Yuan Jun, respectfully and properly bowed and lit the incense sticks.

"Please, Lord Yue Zhao Yuan, bless my Fu Yao to pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar..."

Yuejingdongzhaoyuanjun was standing behind him, looking at him expressionlessly and listening to his prayer.

When she lowered her head again, she saw the fox looking up, staring at her without blinking.

At this moment, the Taoist who was worshipping the gods in front also turned around:
"Eh? Fellow Daoist, why don't you bow?"

"..."

Taoist Jiang didn't want to pay attention to him.

At this moment, there was a commotion nearby.

"Oh! The gods have appeared!"

"what?"

"The immortal winks..."

Lin Jue wondered what it was, but after listening carefully he realized that there were some unusual movements in the statues of Jade Mirror Emperor and Earth God whom the eldest and second senior brothers had just visited, and God Yili whom the youngest sister had visited - the statues of Jade Mirror Emperor and God Yili opened their eyes, glanced at the worshippers in front of them, and quickly closed their eyes again, while the God of Fortune and Righteousness whom the second senior brother had worshipped simply bowed and performed a salute before returning to normal.

It is indeed possible that immortals worship gods.

This can also be considered as an encouragement to them.

"Why doesn't this Yuanjun I worship open his eyes?" Lin Jue looked down at the fox, "Isn't that right?"

The fox looked up at him, then turned to look at Taoist Jiang.

Soon, an urging voice came from behind:
"Little Taoist priest! Quick! The gods over there have appeared. If you have finished worshipping, let me come over!"

Lin Jue turned around and saw that it was a woman of considerable age.

"you please!"

He quickly stepped aside and stood aside to watch.

With a thump, the old woman knelt down!
"Oh, Goddess, my sister-in-law has been haunted by evil spirits for half a month. She is almost dying of exhaustion. If Goddess appears, please have mercy and help my sister-in-law..."

Lin Jue and his junior sister looked down at her, then looked up at Taoist Jiang.

"You two Taoist friends, please have fun first." Taoist Priest Jiang said to him, "I'll be back soon."

After saying that, she walked out indifferently.

Although it was bustling outside with crowds of people and bright lights, there were still many shadows and dark places. In just a blink of an eye, the Taoist woman disappeared.

Only then did Lin Jue take the fox out.

Several disciples didn't dare to speak and hurriedly followed.

"Time flies by just like flowing water." Lin Jue couldn't help but say.

"Yes."

The junior sister also nodded.

The reason why they came to the Dingfeng Temple to worship the gods today was not only because they happened to walk here and wanted to see the excitement, but also because at the Lantern Festival in Yi County that year, they also went to the temple to worship the God Yili, and even spent the night in the God's temple. Now they are just thinking about the past and picking up old memories.

But that was many years ago. After a short wait, the eldest and second brothers and their disciples came and walked down the steps of the temple.

Passing by the ten-mile-long street with colorful lights, the Taoist did not linger for long. But passing by the busy street where magic performances were being performed everywhere, he could not help but stop to watch.

There was a rough man sitting on a bench in front of a square table. There was a rough bowl on the table. The table was just a piece of wood with four legs, and you could see the end of it at a glance. The rough bowl was just an ordinary rough bowl. The man even had his sleeves rolled up, but he could never finish the wine in the bowl.

Sometimes he showed everyone the wine in the bowl, and sometimes he drank it all in one gulp and showed everyone the empty bowl, but in the next moment, there was wine in the bowl again.

He also kept inviting people to come up and drink with him.

There were countless people watching, cheering, puzzled, and he pleased countless drunkards. Most of those who loved wine were very particular. As long as they were invited to drink, the rich ones would definitely spend a few copper coins, and the poor and scoundrels would also praise the wine as good and his magic as profound and wonderful.

The people at the scene watched with even more interest.

There were also old men with their disciples who raised their heads and spit fire. They did not use kerosene, fire balls, or anything to start a fire. They would just gather their energy for a moment, raise their heads and spit, and a ball of flame would appear.

It was New Year's Eve, the lights were bright, and the flames exploding in the sky made the atmosphere even more lively.

There was also a man who summoned butterflies from somewhere, which flew around in circles according to his instructions, which was quite strange; there was a man who summoned a group of insects, which also arranged themselves in an orderly manner on the table according to his instructions; there was a man who exchanged copper coins with the onlookers around him, and after a while, he cast a spell in the middle, and all the copper coins in the hands of the onlookers flew up and flew back into his hands, causing everyone to grab the coins in the air, clench the copper coins in their hands, and feel itchy hands, which was very interesting.

What the Taoists watch is not only the magic skills of these street magicians, but also the joy and cheers of the onlookers and the lively atmosphere in the world at that moment.

Therefore, they find it interesting not only these wonderful magic spells, but also those skills acquired through hard training, such as warriors hitting bricks with one hand, stacking bowls with kicking feet, or performing throat-piercing with a golden spear.

Lin Jue saw many demons and ghosts mingling in the human world amid the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Most of them became very similar to humans. He also saw some gods who came down to earth. Like humans, they stood in the crowd and felt the prosperity and splendor of this dynasty, which was a bustle that only happened once a year.

If they had been at the Yi County Lantern Festival many years ago, they probably wouldn't have been able to tell them apart, but now, they can find them at a glance.

But most of them ignore whether it is demons or gods.

At some point, Taoist Jiang reappeared beside them.

As a deity of the south, she is half a host. On such a grand festival, when her old friends are visiting the lantern festival, she naturally has to accompany them.

After a long time, people gradually dispersed, the lights in the city gradually became deserted, and a group of Taoists walked back.

The younger disciples had never experienced such a grand occasion, had never seen such a lively scene with bright lights, and they all felt that they were still not satisfied and even did not want to go back. The older generation, on the other hand, were filled with sighs and nostalgia.

However, amidst such bustle, there is actually a mix of good and bad people.

There are thieves and pickpockets who take the opportunity to steal, there are also people with ill intentions who use theatrics as an excuse to cause trouble, there are also demons and ghosts who take advantage of the fact that everyone is out to watch the lanterns and steal money or tribute food from people's homes, there are evil spirits who take the opportunity to let their believers come out to develop their faith, although there are many gods in the underworld, there are also many people, and there are both risks and benefits.

……

At the same time, in Yangzhou Juxian Mansion.

Master Yunchan was already very old and looked decadent. On the table in front of him was a plate of very common pastries, which were what the poor boy who had not yet become a monk wanted to eat but could not. He picked up the pastry, put it in his mouth and tasted it carefully, feeling worried.

There were several other strange monks and Taoists in front of him, all of whom were people of relatively high status in Juxian Mansion. They were all strangers from Yangzhou, and they gathered here today, but they were also worried.

Someone said:

"Shaoqing, now the north, mainly in the capital and Qinzhou, is conducting a large-scale search for demons and ghosts. Many demons and ghosts dare not stay in the capital and Qinzhou and have fled to the south. Many of them are committing crimes and causing harm to the world. We really don't have enough manpower."

Others say:

"The large number of demons and ghosts is not a big deal. The main thing is that the Xuantian Temple in Qiyun Mountain and the southern gods, although they are not fair to demons, are relatively tolerant. They usually don't eliminate demons and ghosts that have not harmed people for no reason. Those evil demons and ghosts from the north are mixed with the good demons and ghosts from the north and the demons from the south. It is really difficult to distinguish them."

Someone immediately agreed:
"Yes. The Purple Sky Palace and the northern gods are overbearing. In Qinzhou, especially in the capital, they don't care about good or evil, or even merits. They just catch the demons and ghosts they see. It's naturally convenient. We are few in number here, and we have to make detailed distinctions and investigations. It's really not enough."

"Well, let's talk about it after today." Master Yunchan said, "Today is New Year's Eve after all. After today, I will ask the capital to send more people."

Everyone agreed and no more words were said.

However, he didn't know that the government office was not far away and a Taoist was walking in the alley.

The Taoists walked through the alley and slowly returned to the courtyard.

This place is relatively remote and quiet. After walking through two alleys, you are almost isolated from the noisy lights of the downtown area. Whether you look back or recall what just happened, it’s like two different worlds.

Suddenly, when I looked carefully, I saw a few figures floating in front of me, who didn't seem to be human.

A faint voice floated over:
"Today, both the people and gods in the city have gone to the most lively places to join in the fun. These remote places are exactly where we gather..."

"It's a pity that I almost got food."

"Are you still short of food today? Aren't there plenty of food everywhere? Just find a bigger yard and go in. Aren't there plenty of fish and meat?"

"..."

Lin Jue smiled, the junior sister looked serious, and the two senior brothers and sisters turned their heads at the same time, one on the left and one on the right.

In the middle is the expressionless Master Jiang.

(End of this chapter)