Wet viviparity

Chapter 24 Panku, Refining the Five Immortals
The Taoist and the girl walked together among the deep mountain streams.

Along the way, the girl couldn't help but look at the Taoist priest. Occasionally, she glanced at his face as bright as a star, and her heart couldn't help but beat wildly.

Then he thought of his own experience and his face turned ashen again.

Ji Ming pretended to make hand gestures and said, "Go around the hill in front and walk another two or three miles, and you will reach the old temple."

"Why are we taking a detour?" the girl asked, panting slightly.

Since entering the mountain, the Taoist demon has always been able to provide her with a gust of wind to help her climb steep slopes and cross deep ravines, saving her a lot of effort.

If that’s the case, why not go straight instead of going around the hill?

Ji Ming gave a bitter smile, pointed to a place in front, and said, "There is a fox community in the mountains ahead. I have some connections with them, and I don't want to run into them again to avoid complications."

The girl nodded as if she understood, not quite. Although she didn't know the details, she felt a sense of respect from the demon's attitude.

Such an attitude and respect were something that people in her situation would never dare to dream of, but she had expected to get it from a demon.

Ji Ming saw the humbleness in the girl's heart and said, "Ms. Zhang, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. If you can be enlightened by the witch this time, you will be reborn in the future and enter a new world."

"I don't ask for much, but it is enough to let that witch know about the king's righteous act."

"Ok!"

After hearing what the girl said, Ji Ming gained some confidence.

This girl has inner wisdom. Even though she encountered such misfortune, she did not give rise to inner demons out of hatred. Instead, she washed away her naivety and showed some Taoist and chivalrous spirit.

If the witch with blue blood had real magical powers, she would definitely be able to tell the girl's true color.

The mountain road was rugged, but under Ji Ming's feet, it seemed like a flat road. From time to time, a gust of cold wind blew, carrying the girl across the steep rocks and deep ravines.

Soon, the old temple was in sight.

On the familiar big locust tree in front of the temple, his crow brothers flew in a group, as if welcoming his return.

"Gah!"

Two big crows flew over to Ji Ming's shoulders, one on the left and one on the right. They rubbed Ji Ming's face affectionately.

It had been a long time since he last saw the crow father and mother. Ji Ming felt very emotional and took out some fine rice from his inner bag and fed them to his crow father and mother.

Then, he asked in a low voice about the situation in the temple, especially the whereabouts of the Jade Blood Witch in the mountains.

The crow father and mother told him that the witch often caught insects in the mountains, and she didn't catch any other insects, but only those poisonous insects hiding under rotten soil and roots.

Ji Ming's heart skipped a beat. He felt as if he had met his nemesis in his next life.

After entering the temple, Ji Ming looked around and did not see the witch. He knew that she was in the mountains, so he walked to the clay statue with a broken belly, bowed and said, "Mr. Clay, it has been a long time since we last met."

"If possible, I really don't want to see you."

The sudden sound in the temple really scared Madam Zhang. She clearly felt a pair of eyes passing quickly over her.

"Since you have been hired as a teacher by the society, you should practice hard and live a comfortable life for a hundred years. Why bother going to the secular world to collect essences and get involved in karma?"

Before Ji Ming could reply, Madam Zhang spoke first.

“The villains in the village robbed the merchants and committed many unjust and violent acts, but the government and the village did not care, and weak girls like me suffered in vain.

Today, demons came to ask questions, but a filthy ghost like you jumped out to make irresponsible remarks and accuse us. What kind of logic is this?"

"The truth of Taiping Mountain!"

The words coming from outside the temple did not frighten Madam Zhang, but instead gave her courage.

She turned around and angrily confronted the visitor outside the temple, shouting, "Is the principle of Taiping Mountain greater than the principle of heaven?!"

The old woman outside the temple came in with a basket and stated as if stating a fact: "Young girl, the principles of Taiping Mountain are the principles of heaven." Then the old woman pointed at Ji Ming and said: "This demon is in the village, claiming to eliminate evil, but in fact it is collecting essence. Young girl is a mortal, and seems to have been trapped in the village for a long time, so it is reasonable for her to be deceived by it."

Madam Zhang took a deep breath and calmed her emotions. She knew she was not here to argue.

"Regardless of the actions and not the heart, regardless of the purpose, the one who saved me from the sea of ​​suffering was not a fortune-teller like you, nor the gods and ghosts in the temple, but a demon.

I followed the demons here, not to argue with you, but to state the facts."

"What a clever girl!" the witch secretly praised.

This girl has been in prison for a long time and has long lost her innocence, but she still has such a courage and is willing to defend a demon. She really has the style of her past.

She didn't want to make things difficult for the girl, so she looked at the Taoist in black clothes.

The Taoist priest stood in the temple with an air of an immortal. In comparison, she, the witch with the basket and her hair tied up, looked like a village woman.

"You brought a common woman into the temple. Do you think that this is a proof of your 'righteousness'?"

Ji Ming flicked the dust tail in his hand and moved his two claws. With the sound of "clang clang" footsteps, he came in front of the witch.

"The witch asked the mountain ghost to call me instead of killing me directly, which really showed her compassion.

Although I am an animal, I have gotten rid of my animal nature and have a human heart. How can I not accept your kindness, witch?

It just so happens that Madam Zhang is gifted, has a strong heart, and has long admired the witch. She brought him here to help us achieve a destiny."

The fortune-teller was pleased with the words and the atmosphere eased a little.

Ji Ming invited Madam Zhang to come in front of him. The witch couldn't help but look at the girl. She felt moved and her expression softened a little.

"God is merciful. If you can mend your ways and stop forcing others to do this, you and I can live in peace in this Hengshan area."

There are two meanings in the witch's words.

One is to stop forcing the collection.

This shows that she doesn't care about the kind of chronic sexual intercourse that requires one to rely on others or the combination of yin and yang.

The second is to draw a line in the sand.

They can be safe within Hengshan, but once they leave the scope of Hengshan, they will become enemies.

"Can!"

Ji Ming nodded.

This result is already the best expectation. In the next period of time, he needs to digest what he has gained.

After the matter was settled between the two parties, Ji Ming left the old temple without any hesitation, leaving Madam Zhang behind.

The witch took Madam Zhang in her arms and comforted her, and soon they had put aside their grudges. After all, their personalities were similar, so they naturally got along well.

The witch took Madam Zhang down the mountain, introducing her family background as they walked.

It turned out that the witch came from a small sect outside of the Central Plains, deep in the mountains, adjacent to Lanyinfang, and was called "Panku Mountain".

Within this mountain gate, most disciples practice the Five Immortals and control the Five Poisons.

The witch practiced in the mountain gate in her early years. Because of her hatred of evil, she fought many battles and accumulated many poisonous wounds. She had to hide in one of the Thirteen Great Villages to recuperate.

Out of the witch's sight, two crows, a male and a female, hid among the treetops and heard everything she said.

"Panku Mountain!"

After hearing the words overheard by the Crow Father and Mother, Ji Ming's eyes turned deep, as if he was thinking about something.

(End of this chapter)