Day and night tour

Chapter 397 Bi Fang's Reinforcements
Just like Bi Fang, who was eagerly anticipating the event, Zhou Xuan was also looking forward to this storytelling performance by "storytellers from all over the world".

The Yunmo Theater in Jingchuan Prefecture was a large stage built right next to the river.

On stage, Mr. Yunliu was already sitting on the sidelines, drinking tea and chatting with the enthusiastic fans around him.

Several painted boats had already filled the river. Since it was morning, towns and villages further away had not received the "message," so there were not many white-awning and black-awning boats on the river.

Inside the largest pleasure boat—the Eight Immortals Pleasure Boat—Zhou Xuan concealed his presence, as if he were in a space where he was all alone, completely unseen by the surrounding tourists and spectators.

"These painted boats in Jingchuan are truly exquisite."

Before the book even started, Zhou Xuan had the leisure to examine the painted boat.

Ordinary small pleasure boats are mostly two-story, with a long and narrow hull and eight to twelve wooden portholes on each side of the cabin.

The Eight Immortals' pleasure boat has four decks and a wide hull, resembling a small island floating on the river.
The first and second floors are open to ordinary tourists. There are several square tables in the cabin, where tea and snacks are served, and singers and actors accompany the passengers.

The third and fourth floors are only open to distinguished guests. The view from above is breathtaking, and the singers and actors are of a much higher caliber than those downstairs. The food and wine are also plentiful and dazzling.

Zhou Xuan stood on the fourth-floor balcony, looking at the stage of the Yunmo Theater, while listening to the guests chatting idly in the fourth-floor painted boat.

The guests here are either disciples of religious sects or officials from government offices.

"Prefect Zhang, Mr. Bai Liu hasn't been giving lectures much lately. Last time, when our Li family held a birthday banquet, we chartered twenty-one painted boats on this river and gathered in front of the theater just to wait for Mr. Bai Liu to give a lecture."

It's a pity that we never got to hear him sing, which is a real shame. I don't know what happened today, but early this morning, a doorman delivered a letter saying that Mr. Bai Liu is going to give a lecture on a very important matter today.

"My master, Mr. Bai Liu, is getting old and can no longer support lecturing day and night. Moreover, he doesn't lecture to tell strange stories, but to convey the great principles through books. He also talks about the knowledge within the path of incense offerings. Naturally, he is not like other storytellers who come out to give lectures at different venues just for a few taels of silver."

At this point, Prefect Zhang added, "So, the reason my master has made such a grand display today is that there are actually some truths in the books he is reciting."

When everyone started talking about the story that Mr. Bai Liu was going to tell today, they all became interested, put down their cups and porcelain bowls, and asked one after another: "Zhang Fusi, everyone knows that you are Mr. Bai Liu's disciple and the storyteller for five incense sticks. You must know some inside stories. Before the story begins, tell us some of them and let us have a good look at them."

Most of the officials, both high and low, in the government office were also disciples of the sect, but most of them were not particularly outstanding in their religious practices.

This Prefect Zhang of Jingchuan Prefecture had five sticks of incense burning, which was already considered outstanding among the nine prefectures and government offices.

He opened his folding fan, pointed to the crowded pleasure boats on the river, and said, "Those large pleasure boats belong to prominent figures from Jingchuan Prefecture. They're not here just to support my master, but also because the timing of this book performance is rather strange."
"As you all have probably heard, last night, the Grand Master of Mingjiang Prefecture activated the Book of Will and rebuilt Mingjiang Prefecture."

"Although this reconstruction is not yet completed, and according to reliable sources, at most only one-third has been rebuilt, Mingjiang Prefecture is the most economically prosperous prefecture. One-third is already a tremendous feat."

Zhang Fusi immediately smiled broadly and said, "The building was just rebuilt last night, and this morning, my master was eager to start the lecture. I think this is related to the great master of Mingjiang Prefecture, who is of unparalleled power. I believe this is also why everyone is so enthusiastic about this lecture."

Everyone nodded and smiled, indicating that "that's exactly right."

The famous scholar from Mingjiang Prefecture had already become well-known some time ago. The huge Mingjiang Prefecture suddenly disappeared, and when it reappeared, the prefecture was in ruins.

They didn't know what dramatic events had unfolded, but one thing was certain—Mingjiang Prefecture was in ruins, and the major prefectures were looking to plunder refugees.

The refugees in Mingjiang Prefecture were refugees, but they were all refugees with money. They acquired their banknotes, gold, silver and other valuables, which amounted to a considerable fortune.

However, at this very moment, the great gentleman from Mingjiang Prefecture stepped forward. He not only restored order to the refugees in Mingjiang Prefecture but also obtained a massive amount of supplies. Not only did the disaster victims have no worries about food and drink, but their quality of life was probably even more affluent than before the disaster.

Last night, this already renowned gentleman suddenly made a grand gesture by rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture.

This aroused great interest in him among the powerful families and powerful clans of Jingchuan Prefecture.

"You must listen carefully to today's book. It not only involves the Great Master, but also the power of faith, how it is generated, and a god-level being at the celestial level... Listening to this book will not only be a treat for your ears, but more importantly, it will allow you to comprehend many of the secrets of the Well Kingdom."

With just a few words, Zhang Fusi whetted everyone's appetite, and the others filled their cups and tugged at him affectionately, urging him to say a few more words.

"Alas, I am preoccupied with worldly affairs and cannot keep you company any longer. I must take my leave now."

After finishing his drink, Zhang Fusi examined the bottom of the cup, gently set it down, and turned to leave.

As soon as Zhang Fusi left, the guests inside called over the boatman of the pleasure boat: "Boatman Ding, move this pleasure boat closer to the Yunmo Theater, the closer the better."

"Those who are near the water get the moon first."

The guests chimed in with their own opinions, putting the boatman surnamed Ding in a difficult position.

He said with a pained expression, “Gentlemen, the pleasure boat has already dropped anchor. It would be fine to raise the anchor again, it would just take a little more manpower. However, there are too many boats on the river. If I want the Eight Immortals Pleasure Boat to raise anchor and move towards the shore, I’m afraid it will scrape and collide with the other boats.”

"I'll move the boat when you tell me to. In the end, I'm just worried that your boat will get bumped or damaged. Just move it, and I'll pay for the repairs if the boat gets damaged."

Everyone present was well-off, and Ding, the boatman, couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to go ahead and do it.

Zhou Xuan had no interest in such matters; standing on the covered bridge, his gaze was fixed on Zhang Fusi.

He saw that after Zhang Fusi disembarked from the painted boat, he boarded a very small boat. The boatman poled it a few times, and the small boat sailed to the side of another large boat.

Zhang Fusi boarded the painted boat named "Penglai" again.

"This Prefect Zhang isn't just chatting idly; he's warming up for his master Bai Liu's book."

Zhou Xuan saw it clearly. When Zhang Fusi went to the Penglai painted boat, he gave another lecture on the elements of "Zhou Xuan, the divine level, and the power of faith" that Mr. Bai Liu's book was going to talk about today.

Zhang Fusi's words piqued the interest of the people on the pleasure boat, and those guests would spread the news. In a very short time, the whole city would know about it.

Once the news spread, even more guests came to listen to the story.

"Like teacher, like student. This Prefect Zhang is also a very shrewd and resourceful person."

Zhou Xuan said calmly.

……

Just as Zhou Xuan had predicted, the more pleasure boats Zhang Fusi boarded, the more pleasure boats gathered on this wide river. What was originally just a riverside theater was now as bustling as the Mingjiang Wharf in its heyday.

As more and more guests gathered, Mr. Shirayuki finally picked up the gavel and slammed it heavily on the desk.

"Snapped!"

The sound of the gavel initially resembled the explosion of firecrackers, but after drifting for about ten meters, it suddenly became light and airy, like a kite lifted by the wind, flapping its wings and flying around the river.

Guests in the dozens of pleasure boats around them could hear the clear sound of the gavel and Mr. Bai Liu's opening remarks.

"Storytelling and opera persuading people to follow the right path; take the middle road out of the three main paths; good and evil will eventually be rewarded; the vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity."

"Gentlemen, I have long forgotten my name. I only use the name Bai Liu to travel around the country. My friends in the martial arts world prefer to call me Mr. Bai Liu."

"Mr. Bai Liu tells stories not to amuse you or to steal your money, nor because he has a lineage to preach and gather followers; he simply wants to share what he has seen and heard, and to help you understand the great Dao together."

This was Mr. Bai Liu's usual opening remark, which the guests on the painted boat on the river were all familiar with, and they all applauded.

"Today, I have something to say about what I've seen and heard, and it involves quite a bit of skill... *slap*..."

Mr. Bai Liu struck the gavel again, his words barely touching the ground before he leisurely said, "Shepherd City has fallen, and a hundred ghosts roam Mingjiang Prefecture; the Heavenly Book has been activated, and the Great Master will rebuild Mingjiang..."

"It is said that the night before last, a thick fog rose up in the area of ​​Donkey Shed Shop in Mingjiang Prefecture, and a city was faintly visible in the fog."

Mr. Bai Liu's storytelling skills were naturally extremely high. As Zhou Xuan listened to the story, it was as if he were reliving the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts in Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Mr. Bai Liu's lectures are like an old man reminiscing. At first, they may seem a bit rambling, but after listening for a while, they become more like a gentle and detailed storytelling."

Zhou Xuan listened attentively, not only to what was being said in the book, but also to the rhythm of Mr. Bai Liu's storytelling. He pondered even the smallest, most inconspicuous punctuation as he listened.

The book was told for more than an hour at a time, and it finally reached the part about the activation of the Book of Will and the reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that great master Zhou Xuan of Mingjiang Prefecture is quite impressive. With a single book, he gathered the power of human desires, and then, using the method of day travel, he transformed his divine soul into a giant form, carrying the power of human desires and ascending to the heavens ten thousand miles above, where he lifted the power of human desires into the Cloud City of Mingjiang Prefecture."

"Mingjiang Prefecture then began its reconstruction. Rain fell from the sky, and people hid in the rain. Those people were the souls of those who had died in Mingjiang Prefecture, now reborn."

"And those raindrops, once they landed, became bricks, tiles, grass, and trees. As a result, Mingjiang Prefecture began to be rebuilt. Grass grew and trees flourished, buildings and streets were restored to their original state, and more importantly, those who had died came back to life one after another."

Mr. Bai Liu explained in great detail, and the distinguished guests in the painted boats listened with rapt attention.

They only knew about the reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture, but not the details. Now that they had listened to the story, they were all pondering whether the great master of Mingjiang Prefecture was truly capable of extraordinary skills.

"It was worth coming to listen to this storytelling performance. I never knew that the great master was so amazing."

"If I could meet that gentleman another day, have a couple of drinks, and listen to his conversation, that would be a great blessing."

As the audience listened to the story, they couldn't help but develop a sense of reverence for Zhou Xuan.

But they didn't know that Zhou Xuan was also listening to the same story with them, standing on the covered bridge of the Eight Immortals' painted boat.

"Hey, that's weird."

Zhou Xuan, who was listening intently to the storyteller while standing on the covered bridge, suddenly felt several faint, almost imperceptible breaths enter his body.

This aura wasn't particularly strong, but in terms of its nature, it was exactly the same as the power of faith that the people of Mingjiang Prefecture had gathered together last night.

"Can one perceive the power of human faith while listening to audiobooks?"

Zhou Xuan frowned, pondered for a moment, then held his breath and focused on gathering the unexpected power of faith. "But at this very moment, in the sky above, there is a god-level being named 'Bifang.' This Bifang covets Master Zhou Xuan's power of faith and intends to steal it."

He has the name of a god, but in reality he's just an old dog!

……

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Bifang, in the realm of gods, is listening to all directions.

It is said that he has invited all the storytellers in the world to tell stories together, determined to make sure that all the nine provinces of the human world hear about Zhou Xuan's "slaying of the god".

Mortals slay gods, committing treason and rebellion.

He was listening with great interest when suddenly he heard hundreds of storytellers in the human world say the same thing at the same time: "That Bifang is just an old dog!"

He was stunned by the scolding.

I... the storyteller god Bifang... was called an old dog by a group of human storytellers?

“That old dog Bi Fang wants to seize the Master’s faith power. How can the Mingjiang Prefecture’s Bureau of Wandering Gods stand idly by?”

How could Yun Ziliang of Xunlong Mountain, Peng Sheng, the tattoo master of Pengjia Town, the Nine-Incense King of the Fox Clan, the painter, the musician, and others possibly tolerate this?

They flew into the sky and, using the power of incense, trapped the Bifang, then hung that old dog Bifang up and beat it.

"Is this how Lao Tzu taught you to tell stories?"

Bifang immediately struck the gavel, using the divine power of the divine kingdom to stir the secret realm of storytellers throughout the world.

He wanted to summon those storytellers and ask them face to face why they were talking nonsense!
The one who stole the power of faith is the God of Dreams. What is his relationship with the Bifang bird?
However, Zhou Xuan had already anticipated his method of attraction.

Moreover, last night, Zhou Xuan also gave the storytellers of the nine prefectures of the Well Kingdom a heads-up—if Bifang uses his divine power to guide you today, it is not because he wants to take you to the Divine Kingdom, but because the Ancestral Master appreciates and favors you.

Therefore, with the divine power of Bifang, he heard the heartfelt voices conveyed by countless storytellers.

"Thank you for your praise and kindness, Master."

"I... love you, grandpa."

Bi Fang was so angry that his liver hurt.

Meanwhile, the storytelling of human storytellers has become increasingly outrageous, with all sorts of humiliating scenes involving Bifang emerging one after another.

Some storytellers, when recounting how Bi Fang was tortured by painters, musicians, and others, would repeatedly beg for mercy, crying out, "Grandpas of Mingjiang Prefecture, please stop beating him!"

Some storytellers recounted how Bi Fang, in order to escape, even knelt before Zhou Xuan, begging Zhou Xuan to forgive his petty transgressions.

Some storytellers, in order to highlight Bi Fang's despicable image, even fabricated a scene where Bi Fang knelt down and licked Zhou Xuan's shoes, just to beg for a way out.

The stories told by storytellers all revolve around the theme of Bifang stealing the power of faith and getting beaten up, but the plots are all comparable to unofficial histories.

As everyone knows, this unofficial history is not guaranteed to be true, but it is certainly unofficial.

"What the hell are you doing? I asked you to promote Zhou Xuan's slaying of the god, but you've gone on and on insulting your ancestor."

"Is there no law? Is there no justice?!"

Bi Fang never expected that he would become the substitute of the "Dream God".

"A bunch of sons of bitches, a bunch of sons of bitches."

Bifang couldn't resist descending to the mortal realm.

He wanted to use his privileged status as a storyteller deity to descend upon the stories being told by the storytellers, using his peak combat power.

It descended just like the Jade Path.

"When I arrive, I will first kill a few unfilial disciples."

But at this moment, all the storytellers in the human world have become "unfilial disciples," so how could he possibly kill them all?

"You have insulted my reputation, you have insulted my illustrious name."

Enraged, Bifang used his divine power to guide the storyteller in the human world again, but all he received was—thank you for your praise and favor, Master.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?"

Bi Fang was filled with hatred.

"It must be Zhou Xuan's doing, it must be Zhou Xuan's doing... There's no one else but him."

Bi Fang believed he hadn't offended many people. He had finally managed to use public opinion to deal with Zhou Xuan, but instead, he was treated like an "old dog" by the storyteller.

"Sir, this is terrible, this is terrible!"

The voice of the female version of Jia Dao reached Bi Fang's ears.

"Jia Dao, what's up?"

"Sir, this is terrible! I don't know what's going on in Mingjiang Prefecture today, but many storytellers are cursing you. They're calling you an old dog who's just trying to survive by licking Zhou Xuan's shoes, and then being hung up and beaten like a dog by the Youshensi people."

Jia Dao's seemingly sincere words were like sharp knives stabbing into Bi Fang's heart.

"Why go into so much detail about your insults! Just get to the point." Bi Fang was furious.

Jia Dao continued, "Sir, after this performance, your reputation has suffered considerably. I sensed it using the witch's methods; the connection between you and all the storytellers in the world is constantly weakening."

The Nine Celestial Gods were formed from the faith of the human world in those days, and the connection between the gods and the disciples of the temple is also mostly based on the power of faith.

A deity connected to a sect is being hung up and cursed like a dog by his disciples. It's no wonder the connection between Bifang and the storyteller is weakening.

The connection was weakening, and Jia Dao sensed it, as did Bi Fang.

"With that effeminate voice of yours, can't you say something I don't know?"

Bi Fang was furious and no longer cared about his usual demeanor; every word he uttered was dripping with anger.

Jia Dao sighed and said, "Sir, because of this book, a lot of faith power has gathered in the world... It seems that this faith power is not only in Mingjiang Prefecture, but also in other prefectures—it seems that the faith power was born because of Zhou Xuan."

The story of Zhou Xuan rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture was sung by storytellers all over the land, and within half a day, the entire nine prefectures knew about it.

The storytellers were so captivating that people from all over the country could relate to them and unconsciously began to believe in that great master of Mingjiang Prefecture.

The power of faith arises from this.

"Damn it! This was originally meant to be my fatal blow to Zhou Xuan, but instead it has become a boon for him! This is intolerable!"

Enraged, Bi Fang said to Jia Dao, "Jia Dao, I will descend in the next two days. You and I will work together to kill Zhou Xuan."

“Sir, you saw what happened yesterday. Killing Zhou Xuan in Mingjiang Prefecture was not a wise thing to do.”

Jia Dao had already pledged his allegiance to Zhou Xuan, and he also hoped that Bi Fang would descend to the mortal realm. As long as this storyteller deity came down to earth, Bi Fang would know what a heavenly net and earthly trap truly meant.

However, he also knew Bifang well, and knew that this god-level being was suspicious by nature. The more he was persuaded to descend to the mortal realm, the less likely he was to do so. Therefore, he had to say the opposite.

Bi Fang immediately cursed, "No matter how heavily guarded Mingjiang Prefecture is, I will still descend to the mortal realm."

"Sir, if you really want to descend to the mortal realm, I have a suggestion. In Mingjiang Prefecture, there is a vicious rat from the abyss who is highly skilled. If you cooperate with him to kill Zhou Xuan... the great cause can be accomplished."

"Abyssal rats?"

Bi Fang immediately rejected Jia Dao's suggestion, mocking, "A nobody like you, from the gutter, dares to join forces with me! I, Bi Fang, have not fallen to that level."

"But you're all alone?"

"Of course I can't kill Zhou Xuan by myself. I will find someone to join forces with, but not the Abyss Rat."

Bi Fang said, "Keep a close eye on Mingjiang Prefecture. Those storytellers who insulted me too harshly, kill them if you can. They're a bunch of noisy blabbermouths."

Bi Fang immediately severed his connection with Jia Dao and took out the Book of Will.

His Heavenly Book of Will is different from Zhou Xuan's Heavenly Book.

In the lower left corner of his celestial book, there is a "yellow hair" imprinted within the book.

This single yellow hair was the reinforcement he needed to call upon.

"Zhou Xuan, you really are lucky! Despite all the twists and turns, a story told by all the storytellers in the world didn't harm you. Instead, it gave you the power of faith in the world."

Bi Fang said coldly.

(End of this chapter)