Day and night tour

Chapter 381 Deceiving Mingjiang Prefecture

The distance between the will of all beings and the city of Yunzhong was still three zhang. Zhou Xuan concentrated his energy and continued to push forward the emotion of the lecture on the stage, but it was still to no avail.

The audience's wishes were constantly being generated, and the density of these wishes was also continuously increasing. Even Zhou Xuan felt that these wishes were so condensed that if they were any denser, some water could be squeezed out.

"But how come the distance is shortening?"

As Zhou Xuan told his story, he gazed worriedly at Yunzhong Prefecture.

At that moment, Zhao Wuyai, who was listening to the story below the stage, also changed his appearance. He first lowered his head, and when he raised it again, he had transformed into the radiant Buddha image of "Zen Master Wuyai".

Zhao Wuya chanted the Buddhist mantra: "Amitabha."

The sound of the Buddhist chant was not loud, but it did not escape Zhou Xuan's ears.

Zhou Xuan then looked at Zen Master Wuya, and their eyes met.

Zen Master Wuya smiled and nodded, pointing in a direction.

Zhou Xuan looked in the direction he pointed. At first glance, he couldn't see anything unusual, but as he stared intently, he unleashed his full vision and indeed noticed something—more than a dozen strands of willpower had transcended the Mountain of Willpower and were drifting towards the misty Cloud City.

These dozen or so strands of willpower, each only as thick as a hair, were too far away from Zhou Xuan to be clearly seen unless one possessed "clairvoyance" with all five senses pushed to their limits.

"Why are there more than a dozen strands of divine will that can be poured into the Cloud City?"

Zhou Xuan became suspicious. He summoned the Blood Well Brain in the secret realm again and pushed his perception to its limit.

Then he focused his perception on his eyes and used his gaze to track the strands of willpower as thin as a hair.

Following the clues,

This touch revealed the truth to Zhou Xuan.

It turns out that these dozen or so thin strands all came from the children who wanted to commit suicide at the Guishan Taoist Temple.

Zhou Xuan and Guishan Daoren went to the countryside in the afternoon to "send a play" and play the role of the children's parents. Their only purpose was to boost the children's confidence and not to think about suicide. They were told to at least hold on until Mingjiang Prefecture was rebuilt.

It was precisely because of the afternoon's "parents visiting relatives play" that these children firmly believed from the bottom of their hearts that as long as Mingjiang Prefecture was rebuilt, their parents would be able to return.

It was this unwavering belief that fueled their determination, which, like a silver needle, pierced through all obstacles and flew into the Cloud City.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhou Xuan recalled a remark made by Zen Master Wuya that afternoon.

When he commented on Zhou Xuan's performance for the children, he said, "Master, what you are about to do today is extremely important and will determine the success or failure of rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture."

In retrospect, it seems that Zen Master Wuya's words about enlightenment and understanding of one's true nature are about to come true.

"Only those with strong faith can send their willpower into the Cloud City."

Zhou Xuan summarized the key to the problem.

But what he didn't understand was... why those children had enough confidence, while the rest of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture didn't have enough confidence in rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture.

Zhou Xuan was too busy telling stories to think much, but he was aware that it was not realistic to immediately resolve the lack of confidence among the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

The number of spectators was simply enormous.

"Problems can be resolved privately, but it would be a great pity to lose the immense willpower that has been gathered on this stage."

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan raised his folding fan, indicating that the lecture would be paused during the tea break.

He stepped down from the platform, walked to Zen Master Wuya's side, and said, "Zen Master Wuya, your words have unfortunately come true."

"It wasn't that I was right, but rather that I foresaw those dozen or so strands of willpower piercing into the Cloud City."

Zen Master Wuya said.

Zhou Xuan immediately cut to the chase, asking, "The vast Mountain and Sea of ​​Vows is unwilling to enter the Cloud City, perhaps because it has encountered some thorny problems. Does Zen Master Wuya have a wonderful method to solve this problem?"

"I am no smarter than you, Master. If you haven't thought of this yet, then I certainly haven't either."

Zen Master Wuya gently shook his head.

Zhou Xuan then asked, "If there is no good solution to the problem, it is not a big problem for the time being, but it is a pity to waste the willpower of the whole city. If it is dissipated for no reason, it will be a great loss."

Once the power of the will is gathered, it must be sent into the Cloud City as quickly as possible. If it cannot be sent in, it will naturally dissipate over time.

These vows were hard-won, and Zhou Xuan felt a pang of heartache watching them dissipate.

"Well, this humble monk can help with this matter."

Zen Master Wuya looked towards the Mingjiang Riverbank, where his junior brother, Zen Master Huanxi, had transformed into a Bodhi tree.

"My junior brother's tree is adept at collecting all kinds of energy from heaven and earth. The tree originally only had seven leaves; one leaf absorbed all the death energy of Mingjiang, and the other leaf can collect the power of human wishes."

"Sir, would you like to collect this?"

"collect."

Zhou Xuan made a decisive statement.

"Easy to say."

Zen Master Wuya immediately entered a meditative state, and a leaf inexplicably detached from the Bodhi tree by the river. Then, the leaf dispersed into tens of thousands of leaves, which flew towards Huifeng Medical College in a mighty procession.

The wishes that could not enter the Cloud Palace City were absorbed by the leaves that floated in the air reflecting the moon.

The leaves, originally silvery-white due to the gentle moonlight, gradually revealed a myriad of colors as the power of wishes was gathered.

The tightly packed Bodhi leaves, gathered together, resemble a colorful bridge stretching across the sky, captivating the attention of the listeners.

"Look, there's a rainbow in the sky!"

"How could there be a rainbow when the night is so deep?"

"Who knows? Maybe it was the Master's book, 'Mingjiang Zoroastrian Records,' that was so moving that the old man was touched and made a prophecy."

Amidst the murmurs and discussions, Zhou Xuan returned to the stage and struck the gavel.

"Snapped!"

The dull thud of the gavel silenced the murmur of the crowd, and the night sky returned to its tranquility.

Zhou Xuan clasped his hands in a fist and addressed the crowd: "Gentlemen, today's story ends here. Tomorrow's chapter will be about the awakening of the Dragon God of the East Market, an autumn rain extinguishing the pyre of the East Market; and the arrival of the God of Bitter Calamity, who fights desperately against the stars."

A good storytelling venue is like this: when the storyteller is about to leave, the audience is unwilling. In this era of entertainment scarcity, if you happen to be there for a good storytelling performance, you can't get enough of it and they all clamor for Zhou Xuan to continue.

Zhou Xuan repeatedly took his leave, and the painter and the wandering spirit official stepped in to smooth things over, finally managing to calm the situation down. The common people had no choice but to leave dejectedly.

"Master, we'll be going now, but we'll come again tomorrow," the audience greeted Zhou Xuan.

"A table, a fan, a piece of silk cloth—we will still be waiting for you at this time tomorrow."

Zhou Xuan is now quite experienced in making appearances, and he can rattle off one polite phrase after another.

In the receding tide of the audience, the white-robed Taoist priest, "Jia Dao," also lowered his head and mingled with the crowd as he left.

He was completely unaware that the engineer's powerful "flesh and blood divine consciousness" had caught up with him.

Zhou Xuan continued to look up at the willpower that had not yet been fully absorbed, yet was unwilling to enter the Cloud City.

"Why not just enter Yunzhong Prefecture City?"

He pondered this question for a long time.

Zhou Xuan stood on the stage, lost in thought, while six people remained among the gradually dispersing audience.

These six people were all neighbors in Dongshi Street.

As if they had made up their minds, they walked toward Zhou Xuan, and once they were on the stage, they immediately kowtowed to him.

Each bow was made with utmost sincerity, making a resounding thud.

What are you doing?

Zhou Xuan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of kowtowing. He hurriedly went to help the people up. Only then did he realize that these six people were all from East Market Street.

"Old Xu, are you running the water shop on East Market Street?"

"Xiao Zhang, you'll be working as a shop assistant at the wreath shop on Dongshi Street."

Zhou Xuan had lived on the streets for a long time. He wouldn't dare say he recognized everyone, but he could recognize most people.

Old Xu and Little Zhang were called out by Zhou Xuan, and they kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "We are all heartless. We used to bully Mu Hua. Ever since Sister Cui saved us, we haven't been able to sleep day or night. After listening to your story today, we feel even more distressed."

"Oh, you've had a change of heart?" Zhou Xuan said.

"We just want to apologize to Mu Hua. Also, we heard that Sister Cui is still alive, and we want to do our part as well."

Old Xu took off his shoes and untied the string on his socks—in those days, many people wore socks with no elastic at the top, so they tied them with string to keep them secure.

After untying the socks, Old Xu took out a piece of gold about the thickness of a finger from inside the socks and tried to give it to Zhou Xuan.

“Sir, this is my token of appreciation. Please pass it on to Sister Cui.”

The others followed suit, pulling out gold and silver valuables from their socks and the pockets sewn into their underwear.

Xiao Zhang was the only shop assistant, and he didn't have much money, but he still managed to pull out a few dirty bills from the sole of his shoe and was about to hand them to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan's eyes narrowed into slits; he dared not accept the money—it was truly something else.

He shook his fan and said with a smile, "To err is human, to forgive divine. I appreciate everyone's kindness on behalf of Sister Cui."
However, Sister Cui is now living with our Zhou family troupe. While we can't claim to be particularly wealthy, we can certainly ensure Sister Cui has enough to eat and wear. We don't lack money for her daily needs.
If you truly repent, pray daily in your hearts that Hua Zi may be given a second chance at life.

As soon as Zhou Xuan finished speaking, everyone's faces showed regret, and they all said, "Master, how is this possible? The dead cannot be brought back to life."

“That’s right. If Hua Zi could live, we would do anything, but he won’t.”

"When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out," Old Xu sighed.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately questioned Old Xu: "What did you just say?"

"Sir...I...I spoke without thinking...I..." Old Xu was so frightened by Zhou Xuan's sudden glare that he became incoherent.

Zhou Xuan reached out and pressed his shoulder, shaking his head, and said, "I'm not threatening you, what did you just say?"

"When a person dies... it's like a lamp going out."

"You don't believe Hua Zi can come back to life?" Zhou Xuan asked.

Old Xu nodded.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Do you believe that your deceased relatives can come back to life?" Zhou Xuan asked again. The crowd shook their heads blankly once more.

They had no idea what Zhou Xuan was up to.

The idea of ​​someone dying and coming back to life is something that only happens in plays; such a thing doesn't exist in the real world.

Zhou Xuan asked again, "If I told you that your relatives and Hua Zi could come back to life, would you believe me?"

The group looked at each other, slowly shook their heads, and then fell silent.

Judging from their expressions and actions, there was no need to ask any further questions; it was clear that they did not believe Zhou Xuan's words.

Zhou Xuan looked up and sighed. He finally understood why the mountains and seas of that vow power were unwilling to enter the city in the clouds.

"Sir, it's not that we don't believe you, but people can come back to life..." Old Xu wanted to add something more.

Zhou Xuan waved his hand and said, "You all go back and rest first. I have important matters to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer."

"Sigh...sigh."

After bowing three more times to Zhou Xuan, the crowd slowly departed.

Zhou Xuan then stepped down from the stage.
Zhou Lingyi's "Tree Gate" time was almost up, and her figure had become extremely faint. She asked, "Little brother, is something not going well?"

"Oh, there were some problems that I hadn't anticipated, but I've figured them out now."

"It's good that you've figured it out," Zhou Lingyi said with a light laugh. "You're a person with your own ideas, a pillar of the Zhou family."

“We’re both, each holding up half the sky for the Zhou family.” Zhou Xuan’s mood had gradually improved, and he started joking with Zhou Lingyi.

Zhou Lingyi straightened Zhou Xuan's collar and said, "By the way, little brother, there is something special in your own book. I don't know if you have sensed it, but I have. A wisp of Hua Zi's remnant soul is slowly growing stronger in your book."

"is it?"

Zhou Xuan discovered the Daoist, but not Hua Zi's remnant soul.

"Yes."

Zhou Lingyi said, "You have to tell this story well. In the end, maybe Hua Zi will really come back to life."

“Then I’ll do my best…” Zhou Xuan said, then turned to Zhou Lingyi and said, “By the way, sister, you didn’t tell Sister Cui about this, did you?”

"I did."

"..." Zhou Xuan.

“I only told her that there was a remnant of Hua Zi’s soul in the book, but I didn’t tell her that Hua Zi might come back to life,” Zhou Lingyi said.

"That's good." Zhou Xuan's heart, which had been pounding, relaxed. He said, "I was afraid that she had too much hope again, and in the end, Hua Zi didn't come back to life, and she would suffer a second blow."

"I know, you are too, you're very thoughtful, so thoughtful, like a girl."

Upon hearing Zhou Lingyi's words, Zhou Xuan became even more enthusiastic. He struck a pose reminiscent of a female opera singer's "cloud hand" gesture, ready to belt out a song.
Zhou Lingyi laughed too, waved her hand, and said with a hint of "disdain", "Don't open your mouth, don't open your mouth, we are siblings."

Zhou Xuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright, stop showing off, little brother. I see you have important matters to attend to, go ahead and do your work. I'm leaving too."

"Please take care, sister. Zhou Xuan greets you..."

"Screw you."

Zhou Lingyi spat.

……

After Zhou Lingyi left, Zhou Xuan went to Zen Master Wuya.

"Sir, have you come up with a solution to this problem?"

"I haven't come up with a solution, but I've figured out the crux of the problem."

Zhou Xuan pointed to the Cloud City in the sky and said, "No wonder those people with the power of will can't enter the Cloud City. It turns out that the people of Mingjiang Prefecture don't believe it."

"Don't believe in what?"

"I don't believe that the dead can be brought back to life."

Zhou Xuan said.

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Wuya lowered his head and chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha, yes, yes. From our perspective, we believe that the dead can be brought back to life, but it is extremely difficult to convince ordinary people of such a bizarre thing."

Human willpower is essentially about belief – if you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't.

Why were those dozen or so children able to enter Yunzhong City through their willpower? Simply because of their trust.

The little child is still young and innocent, so he has a deep belief in things like fox spirits and ghosts.

In addition, in the afternoon, Zhou Xuan and Guishan Daoren "sent a play to the countryside," which fooled the children so much that they truly believed their parents would return after "rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture."

They believed in Zhou Xuan and the wishes written in the Heavenly Book; their willpower enabled them to enter the Cloud City.

"We must make all the people believe in the resurrection of the dead, and believe it from the bottom of their hearts."

Zhou Xuan said.

"It's easier said than done."

Zen Master Wuya said.

“It’s not difficult… I have a plan,” Zhou Xuan said decisively.

"..." Zen Master Wuya.

Zen Master Wuya was very curious about what Zhou Xuan was thinking about every day. No matter how difficult the world was, it seemed that nothing was difficult for him. He always had ingenious and clever tricks.

Take the storytelling as an example—after the disaster, the people had no interest in listening to stories. Let alone ordinary stories, even if the most skilled storyteller in the Jing Kingdom stood there and told a story, the audience would only feel sleepy. But Zhou Xuan managed to change the story on the spot and turned the situation around with his "Mingjiang Zoroastrian Fire Record".

"Where do you get so many tricks up your sleeve?" Zen Master Wuya asked.

"There's no problem in this world that can't be solved with one move; if there is, then two moves will do."

Zhou Xuan said smugly, "Zen Master, have you forgotten that I, Zhou Xuan, am now the magician of the Magic Play Hall?"

"Hiss... You want to pull off a scam to fool everyone and make them believe that the dead can come back to life?"

Zen Master Wuya suddenly understood.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "There's a saying in this world: seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. However, seeing isn't always believing."
I'll put on a grand spectacle so that all the people can see—that the dead can be brought back to life.

"Good, good."

Zen Master Wuya also strongly agreed with Zhou Xuan's approach.

……

The night was deep. Zhou Xuan, holding a list in his hand, led Guishan Daoist to the donkey shed shop in Mingjiang Prefecture.

Before the disaster, Donkey Shed Shop was a well-known "shantytown" in Mingjiang Prefecture.

Although it's called a shop, it's actually a large area.

The local people mainly engage in the business of renting and raising donkeys.

Although Mingjiang Prefecture had many tram lines, rickshaws, and cars everywhere, donkeys still bore a heavy burden of transportation.

Donkeys are known for their stamina and ability to carry goods, making donkey carts a common tool for merchants and traders.

At this point, the donkey shed was burned to ashes. Although Zhou Xuan had the addresses of the children's homes, it was difficult for him to find the exact locations of their homes.

"It's all burned to a crisp, how are we supposed to find it?"

Zhou Xuan needed to choose a location for tomorrow's performance of the magic trick, but the entire donkey shed was like a big lump of coal, making it impossible to tell whose house was whose.

"Brother Er, you live at No. 21, East Alley of Donkey Shed Shop? This is all scorched earth, how can you tell which one is No. 21?"

Xiao Erge was the leader of that group of suicidal kids. When Zhou Xuan was performing in the countryside, he had Guishan Daoren play his mother and Xiao Nao showed him the movie "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple".

Zhou Xuan looked at the list in his hand, then at the ashes scattered on the ground, and finally came up with a plan.

"The willpower of those children has at least entered the Cloud Palace. Since they've entered, there must have been some changes and some fresh vitality."

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan released his perception. His powerful perception scanned the scorched earth pile with precision, and he actually found it.

A kind of vitality, different from its surroundings, was perceived.
Following his senses, he searched around and, after rummaging through a pile of scorched earth for a while, found a cigarette tray.

These were cigarette trays used by women and boys to sell cigarettes. They hung around their necks, and the trays were filled with boxes of cigarettes, which they peddled on the street.

"Oh, these must be from Brother Er's house."

Guishan Daoren had played Xiao Erge's mother before, so he naturally remembered her. She was the smoking girl at the movie theater who had been selling cigarettes for a long time and had even developed cervical spondylosis from the cigarette trays choking her neck.

"Changes have indeed begun."

Zhou Xuan held the tobacco tray, somewhat excited—the entire donkey shed had been burned to ashes, there was no reason why this tobacco tray could be preserved so well.

There is only one possibility: the dozen or so strands of hair-thick dolls that entered Yunzhong Mansion tonight have sounded the clarion call for the reconstruction of Mingjiang Mansion.

This cigarette tray is strong evidence of the reconstruction.

"My home is right beneath my feet."

Zhou Xuan turned to Guishan Daoist and said, "Tomorrow morning, we'll put on a staged performance of a charlatan act. You... you'll play the mother of the waiter again."

As for this place, I'll have to rearrange it too.

The engineer mentioned that Zhou Xuan, the master of charades, had his third incense stick, "Mirror Flower, Water Moon," meant to be used by Zhou Xuan to create a fake courtyard. As long as someone entered the courtyard and believed it to be real, Zhou Xuan's incense offerings would increase rapidly.

By fabricating a fake courtyard, they could both deceive the people of Mingjiang Prefecture, making them believe that the dead could be brought back to life, and simultaneously increase their own incense offerings.

Kill two birds with one stone, why not?
Zhou Xuan was already considering what kind of courtyard he could construct on this scorched earth of his younger brother's house to deceive the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.
Guishan Daoist said to Zhou Xuan, "Master, I think we can change the person who plays Xiao Er's mother tomorrow."

"Who should I replace? Are you trying to quit again?" Zhou Xuan asked irritably.

"Replace it with a paper figure."

The Taoist priest of Guishan said confidently...

(End of this chapter)