Day and night tour

Chapter 376 Portrait of the Patriarch
Zhou Xuan looked back at Zen Master Wuya and asked, "What makes you say that, Zen Master?"

“I feel as if I see an opportunity. You and those children are influencing the opportunities in Mingjiang Prefecture.”

Zen Master Wuya said.

"Could the Zen Master elaborate further?"

"It's going to rain. The raindrops bounce on the green tiles and lightly dance on the stone slabs. It always makes people sleep well. I should go to sleep too."

Zen Master Wuya did not explain what the opportunity was. He simply closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his expression was that of Zhao Wuya, who was smug and despicable.

"Brother Xuan, what did that bald monk say?"

"You're insulting yourself?"

Zhou Xuan smiled and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he urged the Taoist priest of Guishan to analyze the memories of those leaves thoroughly.

"Hey!"

Zhou Xuan's second incense stick began to burn rapidly again, and the speed at which it burned far exceeded the speed at which he had burned incense when he tricked Zhao Wuyai.

“Brother Xuan, since you’re free anyway, why don’t you tell me more? The Taiping lyrics you sang were quite charming.”

"Let's play while we're at it."

Zhou Xuan, having received the offerings, disregarded everyone and chased Zhao Wuyai away.

"Turtle Mountain Taoist, stop watching us chat. Have you memorized those memories? If you mess up your performance, I'll have Ya Zi piss on your soul and extinguish it."

Zhou Xuan threatened.

The reason the incense was burning just now was because he was impersonating the Taoist priest of Guishan, and the children believed him.

The children trusted him so much that Zhou Xuan couldn't bear to disappoint them.

The way to avoid disappointing them was to force the Taoist priest of Guishan to roll up his sleeves.

"I said I wouldn't act, but you insisted I act... I really can't act..."

The Taoist priest of Guishan seemed to have become a private school student being forced by an old scholar to memorize texts.

……

At Huifeng Medical College, disaster victims were scattered in one tent after another.

To facilitate management, the senior citizens' association divided these tents into zones and numbered them.

Tent number 14 in Zone A is where "Little Brother Er," the leader of the group of children, lives.

Zhou Xuan, accompanied by the Taoist priest from Guishan, began planning the scene to come from dozens of meters away from the tent.

"Old Turtle, have you noted down Little Brother's family situation?"

"remember."

Guishan Daoren replied.

“Repeat it.”

"..."

“Let me repeat, we need to have a rehearsal,” Zhou Xuan said.

Helpless, Guishan Daoren said, "Xiao Er's surname is Li. His father was a film projectionist at the cinema, and his mother sold cigarettes at the cinema entrance. During the fire, the cinema burned down. His father couldn't escape, but his mother, worried about him, resolutely ran into the fire and was also burned to death."

"Ah."

"Your parents' habits?" Zhou Xuan asked again.

“Every month, my parents would take my second brother to the movies. However, my father couldn’t afford the tickets, so he would take advantage of his position to secretly put my second brother in the last row so that he could watch the movie from behind.”

"The general details match up. When you're acting later, pay attention to your emotions. As soon as you see Brother Er, you're not Guishan Daoren, you're Brother Er's mother," Zhou Xuan said.

"Then who is the Taoist Guishan?"

“Me?” Zhou Xuan said casually.

"..." Guishan Daoren.

……

The second brother sat alone in the tent.

The people of Mingjiang Prefecture still maintain a very "retro" lifestyle, following the rule of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

Even now, after the disaster, the people of Mingjiang can't stay idle. During the day, they don't stay in their tents but go outside to wander around and find things to do.

Xiao Erge does get invitations from people; kids often come to ask him to play soccer or hopscotch, but he always refuses.

"Grandpa Turtle said that I should wait at home and that my parents would come back to see me."

"I have to wait at home, otherwise my parents might not be able to find me when they come."

The waiter sat upright in the tent.
A figure appeared on the tent flap, and a familiar woman's voice reached the waiter's ears.

"Waiter, how have you been lately?"

"mother?"

The younger brother was overjoyed and lifted the curtain to see his mother, who was wearing a tattered cloth dress. Her head, as always, was tilted forward involuntarily, and she had a hunched neck.

He quickly hugged his mother Maoqin's neck, gently stroking the back of her neck, and said, "Mother, I missed you so much."

"I miss you too," Mao Qin said, reaching out to remove the waiter's hand.

Just as she was about to make a move, a pebble shot like an arrow and hit her elbow. She secretly turned around and saw Zhou Xuan glaring at her from not far away.

This zither is the remnant soul of the Taoist priest of Guishan. The reason Zhou Xuan used pebbles to hit the Taoist priest was to prevent him from being exposed.

Why is Mao Qin's head tilted forward and why is her neck bent? It's an occupational hazard. She was a tobacco seller, and every day she had to hang a heavy tobacco box on her chest, with the box pressed against her chest and a rope around her neck.

The cigarette boxes are heavy, which causes the neck to tilt forward. Doing this kind of business for a long time will cause cervical spondylosis.

The reason why the second brother stroked Maoqin's neck was because he was considerate of his mother. Every time he saw his mother, he would rub her neck.

At this moment, if Mao Qin were to ruthlessly push Xiao Erge's hand away, the matter would appear suspicious from Xiao Erge's perspective—and the Taoist priest of Guishan would risk being exposed.

Zhou Xuan noticed this small detail, which is why he used a pebble to remind the Taoist priest of Guishan.

"Master, you've thought of things quite thoroughly." The Taoist priest from Guishan was also slow to realize Zhou Xuan's good intentions. After that, he began to get into character, using a woman's voice to say to the waiter, "Waiter, Taoist priest Guishan let me come back to see you... You don't need to worry. After the reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture is completed, your father and I will come back."

"Mother, didn't Father come today?"

Only one of Mother and Father can come out.

Mao Qin took out the prepared speech and said it to the waiter.

"Ah? Then...then..." The second brother was somewhat disappointed that he did not see his father.

"But your dad has prepared a little gift for you."

"A gift? What gift?" The second brother was immediately delighted when he heard that his father had sent a gift.

"I'll put on a movie for you, watch carefully."

Mao Qin pointed to the tent's tarpaulin with her left hand, while her right hand was behind her back, gesturing to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan immediately said to the secret realm, "Cerebellum, go!"

"okay."

The Buddha Kingdom's mastermind flew out of Zhou Xuan's secret realm and silently landed on the roof of the tent. Through the gap, it projected a black and white movie onto the wall inside the tent.

This was prepared in advance by Zhou Xuan, who was responsible for narrating the film "Burning of the Red Lotus Temple," which was produced by the mastermind of the Buddhist Kingdom.

The movie was so lively that it immediately caught the attention of the young man, who couldn't help but lean against Mao Qin's chest and watch the movie.

The reunion of mother and son, enjoying a wonderful film—these moments are always beautiful, even if they are just a fabricated time created by Zhou Xuan.

But sometimes, falsehoods can bring people genuine hope and感动 (a feeling of being moved/touched).

As the movie was nearing its end, Mao Qin lightly rose to leave the tent, but Xiao Erge suddenly turned around and grabbed her hand: "Mother, will you come back?"

"Master Guishan told you that as long as Mingjiang Prefecture is rebuilt, your father and I can come back and stay with you forever."

How long will it take to rebuild Mingjiang Prefecture?

"The more you believe that Mingjiang Prefecture can be rebuilt, the faster it will be rebuilt. The time it takes depends on how firm your belief is."

“I believe it. I believe Mingjiang Prefecture can definitely be rebuilt. I believe it can be rebuilt by tomorrow.”

"Little brother," he said fiercely, as if making a vow.

"You can't just believe it verbally, you have to believe it in person."

Mao Qin pointed to the younger brother's chest, then her figure dimmed and disappeared.

"Mother, I believe you, I will definitely believe you."

As the waiter spoke, he took out paper and pen from a corner inside the tent and wrote a line of words with great effort: "Mingjiang Prefecture will definitely be rebuilt."

……

"I was so scared! I was acting in a play and I was covered in sweat."

The Taoist priest from Guishan complained to Zhou Xuan.

"Apart from a few details, everything else is fine."

Zhou Xuan encouraged the Taoist priest from Guishan, saying, "You're a good actor, you have potential."

"I want to go back to my little temple now. It may be dilapidated, but I feel at peace living there."

"The key is to seek opportunities amidst risks, then move on to the next one."

Zhou Xuan pulled the Taoist priest from Guishan to the next tent.

That afternoon, Zhou Xuan visited all the children who were contemplating suicide. He had Xiao Nao show a short film to almost every family. This was practically the kind of "bringing a play to the countryside" he was talking about.

It was exhausting for the Taoist priest from Guishan. He had to pretend to be the children's father one minute, the children's mother the next, and most ridiculously, he also had to pretend to be one of the children's sisters.

"Old turtle, it has to be you again."

Zhou Xuan patted the Taoist priest on the shoulder and said, "Old Turtle, I'll arrange for the King of Xishan to send dozens of foxes to your temple to offer incense every day. I guarantee your little temple will be very prosperous."

"My temple is too small to contain such a strong demonic wind. Sir, please stop your supernatural powers."

The Taoist priest of Guishan was just like that little Guishan Mountain; he only wanted a small, secluded place where he could eat and drink his fill. He didn't even dream of great wealth or fame.

"We must offer a large incense offering; there might be work we need you for in the future."

"..." The Taoist priest of Guishan suddenly felt that he should move.

"I don't want to die from exhaustion before the incense burns out."

……

After all the children were comforted, thanks to the superb performance of the Taoist priest from Guishan, they believed that as long as Mingjiang Prefecture was rebuilt, their parents would definitely come back.

They became the first people in Mingjiang Prefecture to genuinely believe in reconstruction and that their parents could come back to life.

"Chi! Chi! Chi!"

The children were convinced that Zhou Xuan was the omnipotent "Turtle Mountain Taoist." Zhou Xuan's feigned strength was a great success; the incense smoke rose rapidly, and the second incense stick was burned out immediately.

“Bluster. Teacher Gong said that if I mastered this technique, I could quickly make people believe the fake identity I made up.”

Zhou Xuan returned to the front of the bamboo house and first created a false identity for himself—an old man asking for directions.

Just before he entered the bamboo building, out of everyone's sight, he spoke up: "Excuse me, how do I get to the medical school's teaching building?"

By bluffing and making a show of force, Zhou Xuan's charlatanry began the moment his voice was heard.

Inside the bamboo house, Xiao Fuzi was cooking, while Zhao Wuya was reading on the second floor.

Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's voice, Xiao Fuzi immediately looked up and saw that the person in front of her was an "old man." She smiled and pointed to the southeast, saying, "Old man, go that way, go straight, and when you see a tall building, that's the teaching building."

"The little child is so kind."

Zhou Xuan deliberately walked around Xiao Fuzi twice, but Xiao Fuzi didn't realize that the man in front of him was his young master.

"Grandpa, you look a bit hungry. I've stir-fried some rabbit meat; shall I get you a bowl?"

"no, I'm fine."

Zhou Xuan walked up to the big black donkey at the door and gently stroked it.

This big black donkey had a fighting friendship with Zhou Xuan and was usually very affectionate towards him. But this time, it was also fooled by Zhou Xuan and couldn't tell who it was. So it started braying "Ah-eh-eh".

It barked fiercely, as if threatening Zhou Xuan—if you touch your Donkey King again, I'll bite your hand.

Just then, Zhao Wuyai, who had heard the donkey braying, opened the window, stuck his head out, and shouted down, "Who are you, messing with my donkey?"

"I'm tired from walking, can I borrow your donkey for a ride?"

"Get out of here before your Daoist master gets angry, or he'll come down and give you a good beating..."

"You won't let me ride you, huh? Then I'll expose your secrets," Zhou Xuan said jokingly.

What do I have to offer?

"You were reading pornographic books on the second floor, books with erotic pictures... I saw it with my own eyes," Zhou Xuan shouted.

Zhao Wuyai immediately blushed and stammered, "Nonsense... what nonsense are you talking about? You're falsely accusing someone of being innocent... Daoist Master is reading the Spring and Autumn Annals, oh, so you're Xuan-ge'er."

Zhao Wuyai was afraid he was seeing things. He had just seen the person downstairs as an old man dressed in shabby clothes and looking dusty, but before he could take his eyes off him, the old man had turned into the elegant Zhou Xuan.

"My eyesight is failing me; I'm getting old and my vision is blurry." Zhao Wuya rubbed his eyes, then took a closer look and saw that the person downstairs was indeed Zhou Xuan.

Little Fuzi was also stunned. How did the old man turn into Zhou Xuan? As for the Donkey King, he was already affectionately nuzzling Zhou Xuan with his head.

"His bluffing was indeed impressive."

Zhou Xuan immediately sighed.

He only devised a fake identity, yet he managed to fool Xiao Fuzi, Zhao Wuya, and the black donkey.

However, this method seems to have a drawback: it appears to have a limited duration, after which the method becomes ineffective.

……

"There is indeed a time limit. After half an incense stick's time, the person you tricked will realize what's going on."

The engineer explained to Zhou Xuan from inside the secret realm.

"That doesn't seem to be of much use?" Zhou Xuan said.

You only have half an incense stick's time. What can you do in such a short time?
"Don't be fooled by the short time; Caixitang's methods have an extremely terrifying aspect."

"Where?"

"Although he used a two-stick-of-incense-time technique, he was able to deceive a master who had burned nine sticks of incense."

"A trick that takes two incense sticks to burn can fool someone who takes nine? That's a bit of an exaggeration..."

"Your first incense stick technique started with mind control. People from the Jing Kingdom cannot deal with mind control. No matter how high the incense offering is, in the eyes of a magician of the spirit school, it is nothing more than a puppet."

The engineer said, "Back then, guided by the supreme will, more than a dozen god-level beings were dispatched, along with many Daoists, to wipe out the Caixi Hall. But what was the result? The Caixi masters still managed to escape and complete their consciousness aggregation in the abyss."

"It's fortunate that many of the magicians' techniques have time limits, otherwise, this gang would not only be arrogant in the human world, but would also be completely helpless in dealing with the heavenly beings."

After hearing the engineer's words, Zhou Xuan truly understood the terrifying nature of the magician.

"No wonder this sect has been targeted by the Supreme Will, it's outrageous."

As Zhou Xuan thought about this, a plan suddenly came to mind. He could start with this method and weave a deception to fool the Abyss Rat.

“There are many outrageous things, like you. In just half a day, you’ve filled both floors of the Caixi Hall with incense. That’s outrageous.”

The engineer thought Zhou Xuan's talent for cultivation was exaggerated, but she didn't know that while Zhou Xuan's talent for cultivation was indeed top-notch, the reason he cultivated the incense offerings of the Colorful Opera Hall so quickly was not only due to his talent, but also because of some compatibility with his spiritual attributes.

"When I start practicing the art of coloring, it feels just like coming home."

Zhou Xuan asked the engineer, "When the second incense stick has burned out, what is the method for burning the third incense stick?"

“This third incense stick is the difficult one.”

The engineer said, "The third incense stick's skill is called 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon.' Through your deception, you weave false scenes. These scenes could be waterside pavilions, covered bridges, or gardens."

These scenes were originally fabricated by you, but those who were deceived, once inside these places, were like those who had plucked flowers from a mirror or tried to scoop up the moon's reflection in water; they couldn't distinguish between illusion and reality.

"The techniques of the magician are so mysterious at every level."

"What is a colorful play? It's a grand, colorful play. Without that diamond drill, how can you take on such a delicate task?"

The engineer said, "It's not easy to build this 'Incense Stick'. You need to imagine a fake courtyard and trick people into going in and strolling around. If the deceived person deeply believes in its existence, your incense offerings will increase rapidly."

"Teacher Gong, look at this secret realm... doesn't it look like a mirage?"

"It doesn't look like it, it ...."

The engineer was already stressed out. She was fed up with being deceived by Zhou Xuan all the time. You can fool others, but you always use your own people as test subjects. How can you become a leader?

When she strongly refused, Zhou Xuan secretly made a gesture behind his back with his right hand.

The Black Water of the Secret Realm was originally under his control. He could make the wind rise and make the mirage appear.

"Hmm, it really does look like a mirage!"

The engineer gazed into the distance at the secret realm, where the black waves surged extremely high, and a rainbow hung in the sky.

Beneath the rainbow light, another pool of black water was refracted.

When the two pools of black water meet, the vastness of the sky and earth is revealed, which is extremely magnificent.

Engineers love beautiful writing, but they love beautiful scenery even more, and they find themselves yearning for it without realizing it.

Zhou Xuan secretly made hand gestures, reminding Hei Shui to slowly cancel the mirage, and to do so gradually.

The mirages created by the black water are gradually being eliminated, but the mirages seen by the engineers are as magnificent as when they were first seen.

"Ah Xuan, you've come to your senses this time, you didn't lie..."

"Hey!"

The third incense stick began to burn.

"……"engineer.

The engineers just felt numb, exhausted, tired, and ready to perish!

"Zhou Xuan, are you telling the truth or not?!" The engineer was about to explode.

Miss Wall tilted her head and said admiringly, "Ah Xuan, where do you get so many clever ideas? Making the God of Blackwater slowly cancel the mirage, and then slowly boiling the engineer like a frog in warm water..."

"This inspiration actually came from my great father."

"What do you mean?" Miss Wall and the engineer both asked.

“My father can’t swim, but he loves playing in the water. He rented a tire and while swimming, I secretly pulled out the tire’s valve core, hoping he could get rid of the tire and actually learn to swim…”

"And then... your father learned to swim?" Miss Wall asked.

Zhou Xuan tilted his head back and said, "The belt even broke..."

"..." Miss Wall, Engineer.

"The past is too painful to recall. I'm going out to scam people now. See you later."

Zhou Xuan waved his hand and left the secret realm, leaving behind only Miss Wall and Teacher Gong with gentle smiles.

……

"Sir, the stage is set up and the disaster victims have been organized. The storytelling will officially begin at 8:00 PM."

The painter was in the bamboo house, reporting his progress to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan nodded, holding a brush in his hand and drawing.

The musician also said, "The Golden Bell has been unsealed. Huifeng Medical College is monitoring it around the clock. Brother Peng is also leading his clansmen to patrol below the stage. If any rat-transformed person falls ill, they can be taken away immediately without affecting the order of listening to the story."

"Ah."

Zhou Xuan continued writing with his brush, then looked up at the musician: "Have there been any new cases of rat-like patients today?"

"Have!"

How many?

"Seventy-four have already been arrested and brought to justice."

"The rats have changed their ways quite quickly. We really need to speed up our plan to rebuild Mingjiang Prefecture."

Zhou Xuan then said, "I understand the situation. You should all go back now. I will go and give the lecture when it's time."

"okay."

The painter and the musician, the two most powerful people in Mingjiang Prefecture, nodded to Zhou Xuan and then respectfully left the bamboo building.

After the two left, Zhou Xuan finished his painting.

He lifted the scroll, blew away the ink, and then gazed at the painting.

This is a portrait painting; the person in the painting is none other than...

It was Bifang, the deity of the storyteller's shrine.

“Bifang, this time you have no choice but to descend to the mortal realm.”

There is one of these portraits in the Zhou family troupe, hanging in Yuan Buyu's room, and it is worshipped with eight incense sticks. The incense has been burning for decades without ever being interrupted.

When Zhou Xuan lit incense and entered the hall, it was this god-level being who descended and opened the Divine Revelation Secret Realm for Zhou Xuan.

But now, times have changed.

A civil war among storytellers is about to erupt.

"A bluff, it'll last for half an incense stick's time... Half an incense stick's time is enough."

Zhou Xuanzai examined the portrait carefully, not even forgetting a single mole—he couldn't possibly forget it.

He had to impersonate this storyteller, a god-like figure, within half an incense stick's time...

(End of this chapter)