Day and night tour

Chapter 401 Mr. Ye's Business
"Old Meng, how skilled is Zhou Xuan?"

The incense-burning Taoist priest asked the stunned dream deity.

"Don't make any noise, I'm thinking."

The horn in the clouds, as the manifestation of the dream god, was now overflowing with colorful hues.

The color of this horn is the color of dreams, and it also reflects the mood of the dream god at this moment. If he is in a bad mood, the horn will turn crimson.

The fact that it displays five colors indicates that his mood is extremely complicated.

"What are you thinking about? Tell me."

The incense-burning Taoist priest inquired.

"I wonder, does someone like Zhou Xuan have no concept of the hierarchy of ancestral worship?"

The horn of the Dream God hummed and spoke to the incense-burning Taoist priest.

"If he didn't have the concept of social hierarchy, then he wouldn't have needed to use poison to kill Li the Ghost; if he did have the concept of social hierarchy, then why wasn't he at all nervous when he was patiently coaxing Li the Ghost?"
His every move showed absolutely no fear of the five incense sticks compared to the eight incense sticks.

As the saying goes, an expert can see the details. Zhou Xuan's skills in the art of coloring are used with ease. Although he has not yet reached the level of a stick of incense, judging from the few levels of skills he has mastered so far, he is already highly proficient.

The Dream God was quite adept at using methods. He believed that making the methods large and violent was not difficult; the difficulty lay in other aspects. Take, for example, the "Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts" that Zhou Xuan created.
The parade of a hundred ghosts is certainly a grand spectacle, but such a scene doesn't particularly test Zhou Xuan's skills in the art of incense offering. As the saying goes, "the way of the sword lies outside the sword," and to succeed, the main test is Zhou Xuan's ability to observe and control people's hearts.

Just now, Zhou Xuan relied on the magician to gradually kill Li Zougui. The magician's methods were subtle and unassuming, but his true skill was revealed in this small act.

Whether this skill can be used nimbly and smoothly depends on whether Zhou Xuan will get stage fright.

If a single glance is off, or a single movement reveals a lack of confidence, Li Zougui will seize the opportunity to escape control of the Caixi.

"Stage fright? This word seems to have never appeared in Zhou Housheng's dictionary."

The incense-burning Taoist priest then said to the Dream God, "Old Dream, tell me honestly, what do you think of this young man?"

"That's it."

The Dream God was somewhat stubborn; even at this point, he refused to acknowledge Zhou Xuan's prowess.

The Taoist priest smiled and didn't refute, saying, "If you say it's like that, then it's like that... But Old Meng, I have to remind you... The Buddhist people's large-scale invasion of the Well Kingdom is your fault..."

"That has nothing to do with me. I wasn't fully awake at the time..."

"Don't give me that. You're a god. If something happens, you'll be held responsible. This time, I'm here to mediate, not to help Zhou Xuan, but to help you."

The Taoist priest flicked his whisk and said, "Clear the remnants of the Buddhist Kingdom and stop its massive invasion. If you can't handle this, you'll be in deep trouble when the Supreme Will awakens."

"Can willpower truly awaken?"

The Dream God asked, "He has not revealed his true face for nearly five or six hundred years."

In the last five or six hundred years, the Supreme Will has hardly displayed its supernatural powers in the Kingdom of Jing.
Over time, people began to forget their fear of an absolute will.

This led to... three hundred years ago, the Zoroastrian Church massacred Hidden Dragon Mountain to investigate whether the Supreme Will had awakened.

In that battle, thousands of dragon-seeking Taoists from Hidden Dragon Mountain died at the hands of the Zoroastrian Church, and the ancient tree and golden bell in Jingchuan Prefecture were also destroyed.

Without divine intervention or the intervention of a supreme will, the Zoroastrianism gained immense fame.

Following that incident, the Zoroastrian sect became even more unscrupulous, even going so far as to utter the treasonous slogan, "The Supreme One is dead, Zoroastrianism shall rise."

The Zoroastrians spread the rumor that "the Supreme Will is not only asleep, but has even died."

Now, even the Dream Gods can't figure out whether the Zoroastrian rumors are true or false.

Instead of directly answering the Dream God's question, the incense-burning Taoist priest frowned and asked, "Old Dream, do you wish the Supreme Will to be dead, or alive?"

The Dream God did not answer, nor could he answer—the core of the power source of the Well Kingdom world, death has its advantages, and living has its own fortune.

"You'd better stop worrying about the Supreme Will. Instead, think about how to clean up this mess of shit that's stuck in your pants, the Buddha Kingdom. Don't let the jinx fall with you."

The incense-burning Taoist priest's intention was very simple: to urge the Dream God to win over Zhou Xuan and deal with the thorny problem of the Buddhist Kingdom's invasion.

"Let me think about it again, let me think about it again."

The voice of the dream god grew fainter and fainter, and at the same time, it was time to leave the human world; the horn turned to leave.

The incense-offering Taoist priest pulled him back again.

"He's a god, after all. Can't you have a little patience? The real show is still going on," said the incense-burning Taoist priest.

"Li the Ghost Walker is dead, what other good show is there?"

“If you think that Zhou Xuan only killed Li Zougui and Mr. Ye for thirteen hours and then let the matter rest, then you are underestimating him.”

"Does he intend to attack Mr. Ye's establishment?" the Dream God said. "Mr. Ye is a man of great influence, and in the world of martial arts, one cannot dig up the roots of a conflict."

The Dream God is very familiar with the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) of the Well Kingdom.

In this vast world, there is a saying that "one cannot dig up the roots".

Behind every temple or shrine, there is either a connection to the Others or to the gods.

The White Walkers and the gods taught the disciples their skills, and the disciples were required to offer incense to the gods and the White Walkers every day.

Within a temple, the higher the level of a disciple's incense offerings, the more incense they can offer to deities and spirits.

The Otherworlder behind Mr. Night is "Earth Child," a celestial-level deity, but he does not reside in the Celestial Kingdom; he is one of the few celestial-level deities who live among humans.

Zhou Xuan killed Li Zougui, and a significant portion of the incense offerings to "Di Zi" was already deducted for no reason. If he were to kill Ye Xiansheng's leader as well, the incense offerings to "Di Zi" would be reduced too much, and its strength would definitely decline like Bi Fang's.
At that time, "Di Zi" will inevitably leave the capital and come to Jingchuan Prefecture to cause trouble for Zhou Xuan.

It is precisely because it does not need to descend that it is already at the pinnacle of combat power—above the level of nine incense sticks in the mortal realm.

"Offending a celestial-level deity is not a wise thing to do."

The Dream God said, "Bi Fang is currently struggling to find someone to join forces with. If two Celestial Gods were to join forces, then Zhou Xuan..."

"Don't dig up the roots, don't dig up the roots!"

The Dream God spoke repeatedly.

"Then you shall see for yourself how Zhou Xuan does it."

The incense-burning Taoist priest said this.

……

On the river in Jingchuan Prefecture, most of the onlookers were there to pay homage to Zhou Xuan.

A storytelling performance by storytellers from all over the land brought Zhou Xuan fame. In the nine prefectures, many listeners developed a strong sense of reverence for this great master of the Mingjiang River because of the image of Zhou Xuan depicted in the story.

Now, on the river in the prefectural city, after Zhou Xuanbing displayed the demeanor of "Grand Master of Mingjiang Prefecture" without shedding a drop of blood, the people of Jingchuan Prefecture have become increasingly enamored with him.

Nearly 80% of the people hoped that Zhou Xuan would take action and properly deal with Mr. Ye in Jingchuan Prefecture to prevent those madmen from causing trouble in the prefecture.

"Master, why not seize this opportunity to wipe out Mr. Ye's gang!"

"Mr. Ye's gang is a scourge to the city and its people, and is truly an unjust gang. The great master has a illustrious reputation, so please eliminate Mr. Ye."

Zhou Xuan listened to the "voice of public opinion" rushing towards him, feeling both amused and exasperated.

To be honest, he originally came here just to supervise Mr. Bai Liu's lectures, which was just a side job. He didn't want to be a "discipline committee member" to inspect the security situation in Jingchuan Prefecture.

"It seems that the security situation in Jingchuan Prefecture is not much better than that in our Mingjiang Prefecture."

Zhou Xuan braced himself on the gunwale with both hands, gazing at the onlookers who were waving their arms and were in high spirits.

At this moment, he had become a star in Jingchuan Prefecture, and every frown and smile could stir the emotions of thousands of people.

Some people with plenty of money even hired photographers to take a "photo" with Zhou Xuan using perspective tricks.

“Master, in Jingchuan Prefecture, Master Kuye has been suffering for a long time.”

An aged voice sounded from behind Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan looked back and saw Mr. Bai Liu, holding a folding fan, and Zhao Dengming standing not far away.

Because Li Changxun's water droplets were still there and Yun Ziliang's dragon was churning in the clouds, the two who wanted to get close to Zhou Xuan stopped in their tracks, fearing that the dragon and water droplets might suddenly fall and kill them as enemies.

"You two have vented your anger, it's time to leave."

Zhou Xuan waved his hand.

From the moment he plotted to kill Li Zougui, Mr. Ye of Mingjiang Prefecture would never again be the number one gang in Jingchuan.

The second-in-command immediately kowtowed to Xunlong Hall to admit his mistake, causing the disciples to disperse in disarray. It would be difficult for them to regain their momentum.

"Bullshit, bullshit!"

Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun were also in high spirits. They immediately dispersed the water droplets and the dragon disappeared, leaving only Zhou Xuan, Mr. Bai Liu, and Zhao Dengming to talk.

But before the conversation, Zhou Xuan didn't waste Li Zougui's eight-stick-length corpse. With a wave of his hand, several blood-red tentacles emerged from his body, ready to devour Li Zougui, the sacrificial offering.

"Jingzi, don't rush to eat. So many people are watching; it'll look bad."

Zhou Xuan now has an idol image to maintain—what idol has a thing like an evil god living inside their body, devouring a corpse piece by piece?

The Blood Well was also meticulous; its thousands of tentacles coalesced into two giant hands, dragging Li Zougui's corpse into the secret realm, where they feasted on it.

Having done all this, Mr. Bai Liu walked over, trembling.

"Old Man Bai Liu from Jingchuan Prefecture pays his respects to the genius storyteller."

Mr. Bai Liu was a seasoned veteran, and those seasoned veterans had many old-fashioned rules.

Take, for example, the folding fan he held between his fists.

To show submission, storytellers hold their folding fans with the tip pointing to the ground and the tip pointing to the sky, which is what he is doing now.

"Mr. Bai Liu, the fish you're raising is quite nice."

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "I am very grateful for your help today."

"This is just a small token of my appreciation; how could I dare to ask for your thanks, sir?"

Mr. Bai Liu said, "Mr. Ye has been in Jingchuan Prefecture for many years. He is as crazy as a ghost. Whatever he takes a fancy to or any place he sets his sights on, he will take it. This gang is very powerful, and we people in the prefecture dare not speak out against it."

"You have disciples who seek the dragon in your household, why don't you dare to resist?"

"It's all because Mr. Ye has special permission from the capital... so they can always justify murder."

Mr. Bai Liu said.

"Can someone who commits murder still be considered right? Is there no law anymore?"

Zhou Xuan was somewhat astonished—when he first arrived in Mingjiang Prefecture, although Mingjiang was in turmoil, with kidnappers running rampant and the city god being extremely corrupt, they still had to keep a low profile and secretly make many connections.

What's so special about Jingchuan Prefecture? Even murder has become legal and justifiable here.

Seeing that Zhou Xuan was not very familiar with the situation in Jingchuan Prefecture, Mr. Bai Liu explained: "Master, you may not know this, but Mr. Ye is connected to a strange ghost named 'Di Zi'."
This place doesn't reside within the Heavenly Kingdom; it lives in the capital city. For the Well Kingdom, it is extremely important, holding a very high position.” Zhou Xuan was even more astonished and asked, “What can this place do for the Well Kingdom? Why does it hold such a high position?”

"A person who predicts misfortune."

Mr. Bai Liu said, "The shape of the land resembles an infant. It spends a lot of time sleeping every day. In its slumber, it becomes a dream, merging with the continent of Jing Kingdom."
He could sense the fate of the Kingdom of Jing. Once an ominous person was born into the populace, threatening the future of the Kingdom of Jing, he would notify Master Ye to gather forces and kill the newborn, ominous infant.

"Oh I got it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan understood why Mr. Ye was so arrogant; it turned out he had such power.

Whether a newborn baby is considered unlucky or not is entirely determined by the "earth element".

If this "local expert" doesn't lie and only relies on his supernatural powers to identify ominous people, that's fine. But what if he also harbors self-interest?
In Jingchuan Prefecture, if any powerful family offends Mr. Ye, Di Zi will claim that their newborn baby is an ominous person and that they have been sent by secret orders from the capital to kill him. Where can that powerful family seek justice?

The same applies to the Dragon Seeking Hall—that Dragon Seeking Grand Master dared to oppose Mr. Ye, so it's highly likely he'll be "without descendants."

Cutting off someone's offspring is the most insidious act in the world, and this evil deed has become Mr. Ye's treacherous business.

With this privilege, Mr. Ye held the lifeline of powerful families and powerful gangs.

Zhou Xuan said, "Babies can't speak, and whether they are considered unlucky is entirely up to the 'Earth Child's' discretion. Has the Capital Prefecture not considered how to restrict the 'Earth Child'?"

If there are no strong rules to restrict such a "person who can predict good or bad fortune," wouldn't that be like raising a poisonous insect?
“Yes, there used to be.”

Mr. Bai Liu said, "Back when the capital still had a royal city, the four great Daoist sects in the world all had extremely powerful figures who went to the capital to serve as the four national advisors."
Every prediction made by "Di Zi" needs to be analyzed by the Imperial Advisors. Only when three or more Imperial Advisors confirm the accuracy of Di Zi's prediction can Mr. Ye obtain the "hunting warrant" to hunt down ominous individuals in the human world.

"But more than three hundred years ago, the royal city was overthrown, and after the geomancer's predictions were only supervised by the Dunjia Hall, everything changed."

"No need to say anything more, I understand."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan recalled something Yun Ziliang always mentioned: "Our ancestors included a national advisor."

It turns out that the Imperial Advisor was used to check and balance the "Earth Prince".

He also recalled the time of the Heaven and Earth Chess Game, when Zhao Qingxiao, the arrogant and domineering master of escape techniques, was at the height of his power.

Why is that Grand Master of Escape Arts so arrogant? Isn't it because he's in cahoots with Di Zi?

"Both of these establishments are like underworld devils turned into minions, causing considerable harm and poison."

Zhou Xuan sighed and said to Mr. Bai Liu, "Mr. Bai Liu, I'll have to trouble you later to show me the way."

"Where is the eldest master going?"

"Go to Mr. Ye's headquarters. I want to meet Mr. Ye's top boss."

Zhou Xuan said.

"You're going there all by yourself?"

Mr. Bai Liu was somewhat worried about Zhou Xuan.

"I represent the Ping Shui Prefecture's Bureau of Spirit Parade by myself. How can I be considered a lone wolf?"

Zhou Xuan actually wanted to say—I really planned to go and meet that big boss by myself, but he was afraid of provoking the old storyteller with white hair and beard, so he kept the truth to himself for the time being.

"That's good, that's good. That leader is a heartless scoundrel, not someone to be trifled with."

When Mr. Bai Liu mentioned this, his tone changed again. He glanced at Zhao Dengming beside him and said to Zhou Xuan, "However—Master, I have a secret to tell you privately."

"There's no need to hide anything, just say it directly."

Zhou Xuan always believed in not employing people he doubted—Zhao Dengming was able to step forward and use his five-incense sticks' worth of cultivation to stop Li Zougui while Zhou Xuan was in meditation, so Zhou Xuan concluded that this person was relatively trustworthy.

"Bifang is very likely to descend to the mortal realm today."

Mr. Bai Liu took out his fan, poked his chest, and said, "When Bi Fang descends to the mortal realm, he needs to borrow the stories told by the storyteller. This storytelling session is considered his passage to the mortal world."

And his only possible path today is through me.

"So, Mr. Bai Liu, do you want to welcome Bi Fang to the mortal realm?" Zhou Xuan asked frankly.

"Before I met the Great Master, I was uncertain, but after meeting him, I had an idea. If Bifang were to lend me the chance to descend to the mortal realm, I would find some excuses not to open this path for him."

Mr. Bai Liu was even more frank, saying, "With Meng Yu'er in my hands, it won't be so easy for Bi Fang to control me."

These words were a declaration of surrender.

Mr. Bai Liu always preferred to live in seclusion in a remote corner of the world. He lived in seclusion for many years without causing any trouble. This was because he had an extremely accurate eye and could recognize who was capable and who could control the narrative.

He now believes that Zhou Xuan's future achievements will definitely surpass Bi Fang's, so he has joined Zhou Xuan's side.

Zhou Xuan smiled warmly, patted Mr. Bai Liu's shoulder gently, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Bai Liu, but—in my opinion, you should let him descend to the mortal realm."

"But Bifang is, after all, a celestial-level deity..."

"Alas, even a god of the heavens can be slain by me."

Zhou Xuan said, "Besides, I'm not alone, I have helpers."

"Even if the wandering spirits of Pingshui Prefecture were to gather together, they would still be no match for Bifang..."

Bi Fang descends upon the nine incense sticks above the ground, relying on the storyteller's narration, and can unleash his peak combat power, a level no less than that of the top-tier alien demon in the human world—Zhe Xing.

Ping Shui Prefecture alone is probably not enough to handle it.

“Besides Pingshui Prefecture, we have helpers.”

Zhou Xuan then spoke.

"Who?"

“Mr. Ye,” Zhou Xuan said confidently, “Since Mr. Ye’s branch has nine incense sticks, he should contribute his strength to the small cause of fighting against Bi Fang.”

Mr. Bai Liu choked up a little as he couldn't believe it—what gave Zhou Xuan the confidence to persuade Mr. Ye's leader to become his helper?

"Oh, right, you're also an accomplice..."

Zhou Xuan then patted Mr. Bai Liu's shoulder.

"Me? If you ask this old man to deal with eight incense sticks, I have no problem, but dealing with the gods of the heavens, I'm afraid I can't..."

“…The fish you raised.” Zhou Xuan finished speaking.

"Does the Master want to borrow my Dream Fish?"

"Yes."

At this point, Zhou Xuan prepared to depart with Mr. Bai Liu. As he passed Zhao Dengming, he clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Little Celestial Master Zhao, thank you very much for today."

“No need for formalities, sir. Zhao Wuyai is my cousin.”

Zhao Dengming introduced himself.

"Oh, no wonder his eyebrows and eyebrows look somewhat similar to Ya Zi's."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan began to scrutinize Zhao Dengming.

Zhao Dengming smiled and said, "Thank you for taking care of my cousin these past few days, sir."

"Well, it's not a matter of taking care of him. Your cousin is quite a character."

Since Zhao Dengming had first offered his advice and was also a cousin of Zhao Wuyai, Zhou Xuan decided to give Zhao Dengming a generous gift.

He said to Zhao Dengming, "Dengzi, you should go and become Yun Ziliang's disciple. Tell him that I asked him to take you on as a disciple. From now on, we will be fellow disciples."

"This won't do, will it? Ancestor Yun is of such high seniority. If he wants to take me as his disciple, how should I address my master and hall master in the future?"

According to seniority, if Zhao Dengming became Yun Ziliang's apprentice, then his master would have to call him grandmaster.

"That's alright. You can each follow your own rules. You can call your master 'Master,' and your master can call you 'Grandmaster.' It won't interfere with either of you."

"This……"

"No need for any of that. If we tell you to become an apprentice, then you become an apprentice."

Zhou Xuan patted Zhao Dengming on the shoulder and said, "I think it's a good idea for you to be Old Yun's disciple. By the way, if you want to improve in the future..."

"If I were to become Master Yun's disciple, I would definitely cultivate diligently and not dare to delay for even a moment."

Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "What's the point of cultivation? You should learn to play mahjong properly and lead your grandmaster to great success. If you can win eight times, you should never win four times."

"..." Zhao Dengming.

"Alright, Junior Brother Deng, I'm off on business. Send a secret letter to Zhao Wuyai. Before long, the letter from Grandmaster Yun accepting you as his disciple will be delivered by Li Shanzu's gentle breeze."

When Zhou Xuan said this, Zhao Dengming was overjoyed.

The entrance to Xunlong Hall is a Taoist gate.

In Taoism, status is determined not only by the level of incense offerings but also by seniority. Yun Ziliang, being of a higher seniority, would beat Ya Zi without Ya Zi uttering a single complaint.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Don't call me Master, call me Senior Brother Xuan."

"Yes, Senior Brother Xuan." Zhao Dengming was overjoyed.

……

On the main street of the inner city of Jingchuan Prefecture, Zhou Xuan and Mr. Bai Liu were walking.

As they approached the end of the street, Mr. Bai Liu pointed to a stone lion and said, "That is the residence of Mr. Ye, the head of the family. Mr. Ye, you can now bring over your helpers from Ping Shui Prefecture."

"Help? What help?"

"Didn't you say that you alone represent the Ping Shui Prefecture's Bureau of Spirit Parade?" Mr. Bai Liu asked in surprise.

"Oh, they all have things to do, I can go into the manor by myself."

Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

"..." Mr. Bai Liu realized he needed to reassess Zhou Xuan... He dared to enter Mr. Ye's headquarters alone; his audacity was boundless.

Zhou Xuan had already walked to the mansion and knocked on the door.

Mr. Bai Liu was not afraid of Li the Ghost Walker, but he was somewhat afraid of Mr. Ye's leader. Now that Zhou Xuan had no help, he really dared not enter the mansion with Zhou Xuan.

But wouldn't it be even worse to let Zhou Xuan into the manor alone?

"Hey."

Mr. Bai Liu sighed, gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and followed after him: "Master, wait for me..."

(End of this chapter)