Day and night tour

Chapter 402 The Appearance of the Earth
When Mr. Bai Liu jogged over, Zhou Xuan asked, "Hey, Mr. Bai Liu, once this mansion gate is opened, life and death are unpredictable. Are you really going to follow me? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I'm more afraid of you dying."

Mr. Bai Liu took out a handkerchief, removed his crystal glasses, and gently wiped them. He said, "You are a genius in the storytelling hall, destined to replace Bi Fang as a genius. If you die so inexplicably, I will not be able to explain to my fellow disciples."

Zhou Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. This Mr. Bai Liu was clearly a shrewd and resourceful person. Such a person could always find a safe haven in any chaotic world. What he had in abundance was the wisdom to survive.

But such clever people are often more afraid of death than ordinary people. Today, however, Mr. Bai Liu has gone all out and risked his life for Zhou Xuan.

“Mr. Shirayuki, you seem to be very kind to me.”

"I love listening to your stories. When you were famous in Ping Shui Prefecture, I heard you tell the story of 'The White-Browed Hero,' which was a great book..."

No sooner had Mr. Bai Liu finished speaking than the gates of the mansion burst open, and an old blind steward walked out.

Strangely enough, in broad daylight, and with the steward being blind, his pupils devoid of any vibrant color, he still insisted on carrying a paper lantern.

"Who is coming?"

As the butler asked the question, he moved his head closer to Zhou Xuan, his nose twitching as if he were sniffing Zhou Xuan's scent.

"He looks like a stranger from another province."

The butler thought to himself.

The steward could clearly smell what the people of Jingchuan Prefecture smelled like, but the scent emanating from Zhou Xuan was completely unfamiliar to him.

"My name is Zhou Xuan. I heard that Mr. Ye's boss wanted to catch up with me, and I happened to have nothing to do, so I came."

"Ouch."

When the blind steward heard that the visitor was Zhou Xuan, his hand holding the lantern trembled slightly, and he quickly closed the door.

"They were quite polite, and seemed very nervous when they saw me."

Zhou Xuan pointed to the tightly closed door and said to Mr. Bai Liu.

Mr. Bai Liu smiled and said, "Master, I'm afraid that old steward already knows that you killed Li the Ghost."

"Just a mere second-in-command."

“Just… cough cough…” Mr. Bai Liu was choked and unable to speak again.

That's eight incense sticks worth of food, and it's only worth a "mere"...

The blind steward went in to call for help, and it seemed to take a while. Mr. Bai Liu started talking to Zhou Xuan about books again, saying, "My lifelong dream is to be able to perform the story of 'The Hundred-Eyebrowed Hero' told by the great master in public."

"Go ahead and say it, I'm not charging you any copyright fees."

Zhou Xuan was quite generous with his books; you could take them and talk about them if you wanted, he didn't rely on storytelling for a living.

"But I can't say before Bifang dies."

Mr. Bai Liu said, "There are two schools of storytellers. One school of storytellers spreads the great way through storytelling, and they talk about the incense and the great way of the world of Jing. Bi Fang and I belong to this school. When we storytellers are telling stories, we do not smile and we are serious."

"Serious storytelling..."

Zhou Xuan almost burst out laughing. He had only ever heard of serious literature and serious crosstalk before, but never serious storytelling.

"That's pretty much the idea. So the people who listen to my stories are all serious people. I'm not so much like a storyteller as a private tutor teaching young children. These past few years, I've really been exhausted from telling stories. The people who listen are exhausted, and so am I."

Mr. Bai Liu said, "What talk about enlightenment through book lectures? I think the point of book lectures is simply to make people happy. I want to give a book lecture that makes people happy."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan felt a pang of emotion. This Mr. Bai Liu, like Mr. Feng of Mingjiang Prefecture, was a "bookworm."

Unfortunately, Mr. Feng's family suffered a misfortune and was misled by the Taiping Monk, leading them down a crooked and evil path.
As for Mr. Bai Liu, although his life is not in danger, he must have been living a depressed life all these years, telling books that did not make him happy.

"In this world, every single thing is fraught with injustice."

Zhou Xuan promised Mr. Bai Liu, "Don't worry, Bi Fang will die soon. After he passes away, you can say whatever you want."

"Whether it's serious storytelling or entertaining storytelling, just tell whatever you like. If it's all entertainment, it will get boring after a while. If it's all serious, that definitely won't work either."

"Storytelling is based solely on personal preference, and from now on, there will be no more of those complicated rules."

When Zhou Xuan made his promise, a smile graced his face. This gentle smile, in the eyes of Mr. Bai Liu, was like a ray of sunlight illuminating the storytelling hall.

"Squeak...squeak!"

With the sound of a door opening, Zhou Xuan and Mr. Bai Liu's conversation came to an abrupt halt. The blind steward, carrying a lantern, walked to the door and said, "Master Mingjiang has come to pay his respects. The chief invites you."

Inside the doorway, it was pitch black. To Mr. Bai Liu, it looked like a terrifying tiger's mouth that could devour anyone.

He tugged at Zhou Xuan's sleeve and said, "Master, it's time to call for help. Summon all the wandering spirits from your Ping Shui Prefecture."

"This is really not possible. They are all busy. How can we bother you two, Lord Jianjiu, for no reason?"

Zhou Xuan swaggered into the gate of the mansion as usual.

"..." Mr. Bai Liu was speechless, but since Zhou Xuan had gone in, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow him in.

"Squeak... Bang!"

After the mansion gates were slammed shut, Zhou Xuan realized that the lantern in the blind steward's hand was not for him to light his way, but for the guests.

"So dark...so dark..."

Apart from the faint light from the lanterns, there was no other light in the vast courtyard of Mr. Ye's mansion.

The courtyard was sealed off, and there wasn't a single window on any of the four walls of the house.

"This grand courtyard doesn't look like a place for living people; it looks more like a coffin."

Zhou Xuan said.

Besides the darkness, the courtyard reeked of blood. Wherever the lanterns illuminated the area, the bluestone pavement was stained with sticky bloodstains.

Perhaps due to the passage of time, some bloodstains have seeped into the floor tiles, and fine blood streaks are mixed in with the blue brick surface.

His skin was dark and his blood was full of energy. Mr. Bai Liu was already feeling uneasy, but Zhou Xuan was calm. He just stood there with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

"Boss, Zhou Xuan has arrived."

The blind steward broke the silence first, looking like a priest presiding over a ritual with a crazed expression.

He raised his arms high and shouted, "Mr. Ye, you restless little devils! Zhou Xuan killed our second-in-command, Li Zougui! He desecrated Mr. Ye's Yin Sha God! We, Mr. Ye's little devils, will make Zhou Xuan... pay for his blood debt..."

After a chant-like chanting, various eerie wails and howls echoed from within the mansion.

The bloodstains in the courtyard gathered together, forming a blood-red womb that kept pumping. Inside, it seemed as if something extraordinary was about to be born.

"Blood fetus emerging from blood, please resonate with Mr. Ye, receive the blessing from the 'Earth,' and devour this great master of Mingjiang Prefecture."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"Hehehe."

Strange noises emanated from the blood fetus, quite noisy. At least for Mr. Bai Liu, it felt as if countless tentacles were scratching at his heart. Needless to say, he felt uncomfortable and even had an urge to vomit.

"It's contamination, the blood fetus is contaminating us, Master. Even if you feel nauseous, you mustn't vomit, otherwise—you might vomit something... oh, Master..."

Mr. Bai Liu was explaining to Zhou Xuan how to deal with the blood fetus, but he noticed that Zhou Xuan seemed completely unaffected—not only was he unaffected by any mental pollution, but his facial expression even seemed to suggest he wanted to laugh…

"Master, are you not afraid of the Blood Child Demon's voice?"

Mr. Bai Liu discovered that Zhou Xuan's cultivation in the art of incense offerings seemed to be quite remarkable as well.

"What's there to be afraid of, mere pollution?"

Zhou Xuan said calmly.

His mental attributes are extremely strong; even the engineers praised his mental control, a rare sight even in the Flesh and Blood Dynasty.

At the same time, his perception is extremely powerful, comparable to that of a god.

Furthermore, since Zhou Xuan was originally a spiritual being connected to the Blood Well, it was fortunate that he didn't corrupt others spiritually or perceptually, so why would he be afraid of being corrupted by the Blood Embryo?

He turned to the blind butler and asked, "Hey, put in some effort! I've come all this way to your headquarters, and this is all you've got?"

“Eee-yah-yah...hee-hee-ha-ha…”

The demonic voice of the blood fetus reappeared.

Zhou Xuan shook his head.

He was disappointed, turned to Mr. Bai Liu, and said, "Where is your gavel?"

"Give……"

Mr. Bai Liu slid the gavel out from his sleeve and handed it to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan gripped the wooden block in his hand and, like throwing a brick, smashed it towards the blood fetus.

puff!
The blood fetus was stunned by the impact; even the ghostly sounds it made as it trembled paused for a moment.

Zhou Xuan scolded, "Hasn't he eaten? Making such a fuss, shout louder, shout even louder!"

“Eee-yah-yah...Eee-ee...Waaah…”

Blood fetus's confidence was shattered, and it began to sob amidst the ghostly voice.

"Look, that's all the skill you've got," Zhou Xuanyao said to Mr. Bai Liu, poking at the blood fetus.

Mr. Bai Liu recalled his gavel, wiped the sticky bloodstains on the block with a handkerchief, and asked, "Master, why didn't you use your own gavel when you smashed it?"

"Oh, I think it's dirty."

"..."

Mr. Shirayuki suddenly stopped wiping, so angry he wanted to hit someone.

The blood fetus had no effect on corrupting Zhou Xuan. A paper banner flew out of the house, took root, and grew tall in the wind.

A tiny paper banner, in the blink of an eye, grew into a giant, colorful umbrella.
Inside the umbrella, a blood-red mist filled the air.

“Zhou Xuan, you killed my second-in-command Li Zougui, and now you’re still acting recklessly in my mansion. You’re just a nobody, do you really think you’re someone important?”

"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, you barge into the gates of hell when there are none, you're courting death..."

A sharp whistling sound shook the floor tiles in the courtyard, and a terrifying aura, like a surging wave, rushed towards Zhou Xuan and Mr. Bai Liu.

"Be careful, sir."

Mr. Bai Liu finally stepped forward, standing in front of Zhou Xuan and unfolding his folding fan to block the aura.

The mere breath caused a few cracks to appear in Mr. Bai Liu's paper fan, and his right hand, which held the fan, had many narrow wounds on its web, from which drops of blood dripped.

Zhou Xuan then put on the mask of the Dao Ancestor and used the phrase "Boundless Sage" from the Xigu True Scripture to block Mr. Bai Liu's way.

Sages are boundless; they can absorb the power and influence of the world and make it their own.

Although the difference in cultivation level between Zhou Xuan and Master Ye was too great, he could still absorb a little bit of the aura that was released.

With Zhou Xuan blocking the momentum, Mr. Bai Liu felt much more relaxed.

"He truly is the young Nuo god of the Zhou family. This skill is beyond the reach of saints. Only by seeing him perform it in person can one know how wonderful it is."

Mr. Bai Liu realized that he had underestimated Zhou Xuan's level of religious influence.

However, even though Zhou Xuan's incense offerings were of a good quality, and with the "True Scripture of the Valley," he could kill enemies across borders, the person opposite him was Mr. Ye, who had nine sticks of incense burning.

This level of understanding is not enough to compensate for Zhou Xuan's Nuo Dao supernatural powers.

The line marked by nine incense sticks leads to the realm of gods, but those who cross it are merely mortals.

Online and offline, the hierarchy is rigid. However, Zhou Xuan was not afraid of that so-called realm. He looked up at the giant umbrella that was still emanating bloody aura and said casually, "Mr. Ye's boss, can't you come up with anything new?"
"A mere blood fetus, a giant umbrella, and the cultivation of nine incense sticks—that's all you rely on, isn't it?"

Upon hearing these words, both Mr. Bai Liu and the blind steward were stunned.

Nine sticks of incense, the highest in the human realm; a blood fetus that pollutes the spirit; the giant umbrella, Mr. Ye's natal magic weapon—isn't that enough?
"It's still just a mere trifle?"

Mr. Bai Liu had some doubts. Perhaps this Mr. Mingjiang was lacking in vocabulary, only able to use the word "ququ" to describe everything.

"Boss, you've already used up all your resources. You're out of ideas now. It's my turn."

Zhou Xuan reached into the secret realm and easily began to search and explore.

"Zhou Xuan, today I'll make you wish you were dead..."

The leader was completely enraged, and his shrieking became even sharper.

But this sharp sound was abruptly cut off as Zhou Xuan pulled the items from the secret realm out of the room...

The object Zhou Xuan pulled out was none other than the "Mother of a Hundred Ghosts," which had been suppressed in his secret realm.

The Mother of a Hundred Demons, with her enormous body, landed in the courtyard, and everything fell silent.

Mr. Night, the head of the gang, dared not howl anymore. The Blood Embryo, like a large egg waiting to be bought on the street, was peaceful and quiet.
The blind butler no longer dared to act recklessly; his overall demeanor became very gentle and humble.
The reason everyone was so obedient was because the aura of the Mother of a Hundred Demons was truly eerie.

The aura of Buddha and ghosts that emanated from her was not aggressive in the slightest, but if they were to penetrate her aura with their senses, they would find that the aura was deeper than the ocean.

Everyone present recognized its value; they naturally understood what this aura represented.

Perhaps it is above the level of a god, or perhaps it is at the level of a quasi-god... The exact level is impossible to guess, but it is definitely far higher than the nine incense sticks in the mortal realm.

"Sir, who is this great deity...?"

"Oh, Mother of a Hundred Ghosts, the Buddhist Kingdom has thirty-three heavens, and in each heaven there is a realm lord, who is the strongest expert among those scum in the Buddhist Kingdom."

"And this Mother of a Hundred Ghosts is the ruler of the tenth heaven at the top. I've heard... I've only heard that her strength is even greater than that of the Great Heavenly King Xunbo, who struck the Mingjiang Ginkgo Ancestral Tree into the forbidden area three hundred years ago."

Zhou Xuan walked with his hands behind his back, like a leader on an inspection tour, and said, "The Mother of a Hundred Ghosts hasn't been revived yet. I'll be dead soon, and then there will be a massacre without any level of power. I wonder if those mere Nine Incense Sticks can withstand it."

A deeper silence fell over the air.

Mr. Ye's leader never expected this—he wanted to use his cultivation level to suppress Zhou Xuan and take advantage of the death of the second leader to extort a huge sum of money that was not part of his plan!
As it turned out, Zhou Xuan was not a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered; he was a ruthless bandit carrying explosives.

Zhou Xuan dared to storm Mr. Ye's headquarters alone, full of confidence, precisely because he possessed an uncontrollable weapon.

In the world of martial arts and江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world of martial arts), the big gangs are mostly people who can run away but can't hide.

Each main hall contains something crucial to that branch of the church.
For example, the shrine of the priestess, the Temple of the Witch God, contains an ancient altar, and the priestess will not stand idly by and watch the altar be destroyed.

Furthermore, the Zhou family troupe has a hidden ancestral tree and the "things" beneath it.

To protect this object, Zhou Lingyi would rather die in the Zhou family troupe than leave.

Mr. Ye's main hall also contains similar items.

If Zhou Xuan were to truly perish, the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts would wreak havoc everywhere. Not only would the life of the head of the gang and the rest of the gang be in danger, but it's also uncertain whether Mr. Ye's gang would even exist in the future.

Even Mr. Ye's greatest reliance—"Di Zi"—could only watch helplessly as this catastrophic disaster unfolded.

The realm lord of the tenth heaven of the Buddhist kingdom—the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts—is truly a force that no one on earth can match.

"Boss, what did you just say to me? It sounded like you wanted me to wish I were dead?"

“Sir, what I mean is, we absolutely cannot agree to your request to die.”

An obese man, as fat as a mountain, rolled out of the house, holding a soft silk towel, and gently wiped Zhou Xuan's neck and hands.

“Sir, it’s hot in Jingchuan and there’s no wind in my room. Look how stuffy you are, you’re covered in sweat.”

As he wiped, he kicked the blind butler and said, "What are you standing there for? Can't you see that the master is thirsty, hungry, tired, and exhausted?"

"Prepare food and wine, invite the best girls from Zihualou, and the singers from Xingguang Nightclub... to welcome my master."

The blind steward left the lantern behind and hurriedly went to prepare a welcoming feast.

"Not shouting for war? What about the blood fetus? Let me get some contamination."

Zhou Xuan glared at the chief.

"Look at what you're saying. In the world of martial arts, harmony brings wealth."

The leader gestured with both hands and said, "I think that when you encounter unhappy things in life, you might as well calm down and think carefully about whether you are right or wrong, and find an outlet for your heart."
Using violence is not the best way to solve problems…

A mother of a hundred demons transformed the once ferocious and evil leader into a mentor of "chicken soup for the soul."

The leader was a smart man – after all, his feud with Zhou Xuan was both big and small.

Isn't he just a paper fan, destined to be the second-in-command?
Why not just hold a rally tomorrow, set up a new paper fan, and appoint a new second-in-command? Wouldn't that settle things? Why go through the trouble of "wiping out the entire family"?
"Now, you no longer admire violence?"

Zhou Xuan glanced at the chief.

"I don't worship, I don't worship. I used to study poetry and books diligently and I understand a principle."

"What's the reasoning?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"The benevolent are invincible; they win people over with virtue."

The leader said with a smile, "With his fat body and innocent, lovable smile, where is the ruthless and heroic demeanor of the Ghost King of Jingchuan?"

"Then I'll take in the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts. You'd better give me a proper welcome-back party?" Zhou Xuan glanced at the chief.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Let's settle this at the dinner table, let's see who's the best at picking up girls, I want to have a three-hundred-round battle with Mr. Da."

……

"This Mother of a Hundred Ghosts is indeed the truth of the world. Look at the leader, he can even sing and dance now."

Zhou Xuan sat inside the main hall of his mansion, the table laden with sumptuous food and wine, the room filled with singers and actresses.
To liven things up, the gang leader even started dancing.

The singers nearby whispered among themselves, "Hey, who's that young man?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't. Even the head of Jingchuan Prefecture has to dance for his amusement. What kind of background could he possibly have?"

"A background bigger than the sky."

Before long, the wine had been drunk several times, and the singing and dancing were in full swing. Zhou Xuan kept serving food to Mr. Bai Liu, while occasionally pouring himself a drink, not giving the head of the household much face.

But the leader wasn't interested in saving face!

How much is face worth?

The chief has only one wish now: to get rid of Zhou Xuan, this plague god, as soon as possible.

"Boss, I've had enough to eat and drink, and I've had my fill of the singing and dancing. Now it's time to get down to business."

Zhou Xuan put down his chopsticks and said.

The head of the gang was so sensible; he clapped his hands and chased the girls away.

The blind steward hadn't left yet. He was the boss's confidant and usually served the boss every step of the way. He hadn't changed his habits yet.

"Old blind man, what the hell are you doing here? Didn't you hear what the master said? He has something important to say, and you're planning to listen carefully?"

"Wow, look at my sharp eyesight."

The bumbling steward immediately left the room.

The leader said with a smile, "May I ask what brings you here, sir?"

"Why aren't you eating or drinking?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"I'm fat, I can go hungry, I can skip a meal without any problems?"

The leader said with a smile, "Sir, didn't you have something important to say? Just say it. I'm Lao Tong, we're not strangers, we're all good buddies."

"The important thing I want to say is, why aren't you eating or drinking?"

Zhou Xuan emphasized it again.

While drinking, Zhou Xuan wasn't just focused on the wine. He noticed that the leader—this fat man—clearly showed his desire for the food and drink, but he managed to resist and didn't eat or drink anything.

This aroused his suspicion, which is why he specifically asked.

"I... the way I eat and drink is too terrifying and frightening. I'm afraid it will scare the master and the girls."

"I'm not afraid. You eat and drink and I'll see."

Zhou Xuan said.

"That's quite acceptable..." The chief was about to refuse when he saw Zhou Xuan reaching into his chest, probably trying to retrieve the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts.

He immediately changed his tune, saying, "It's just food and drink, sir, don't bother."

Zhou Xuan, however, took out a handkerchief and said, "Let me wipe my mouth."

"..." The boss.

The current leader is a bit paranoid.

“Sir, I’ll eat it then. You’d better be prepared.”

"That's what the leader said."

"Eat up, I want to broaden my horizons."

Zhou Xuan's "seeing the world" was just empty talk, but he never expected that he would actually see the world.

The leader unbuttoned his clothes, revealing a body full of fat, and then bowed his head and said, "It's ready to eat."

Immediately, hundreds of tiny baby arms sprouted from his body.

Each arm has a mouth in the palm, which eats up all the leftovers and broth on the table.

But the leader's face showed a bitter expression of being "hungrier and thirstier".

"Wow, this is quite an eye-opener."

Zhou Xuan remained unmoved when faced with the mental pollution from the blood fetus, but now, seeing the leader eating and drinking, he felt a little nauseous.

He tried hard to recall the scene of his fifth senior brother performing the purification ritual for the guests in his mind, and only then did he manage to suppress the nausea.

The way the leader ate, and even the scene of the fifth senior brother dissecting a corpse, seemed far too gentle.

After all the food on the table had been eaten by the head of the household, the hundreds of babies' little hands finally retracted into their bodies.

Zhou Xuan finally felt a little better and asked, "The hand inside the body, Chief, seems to have a story behind it?"

"Have."

The leader said, "Back then, I was also greedy for higher ranks in the incense offerings. When I was entering the Nine Incense Sticks stage, I couldn't pass the advancement ceremony for a long time. So—I made a deal with the Earth God."
I received the form of the Earth Child, and the Earth Child helped me burn nine incense sticks.

"The appearance of the earth?"

Zhou Xuan asked, "What is this?"

"It can be seen as a curse—the appearance of the Earth Child is that of a terrifying monster. He planted the image of the Earth Child in my body. After I burn nine incense sticks, all the incense I collect each day is offered to him."

The head of the gang sighed and said, "So, the name I took for the gang was changed after the nine incense sticks were burned. I was called Di Tong, but those who are more familiar with me call me Lao Tong."

The Earth Child said, "I have already burned nine incense sticks, and the Earth Child is pressing down on me. I have no intention of ascending to heaven and slaying the old gods. I will donate all the incense offerings to the Earth Child every day. It doesn't matter."
What I find most abhorrent now is the deformity of my physical appearance.

Hearing the earth child sigh deeply, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "If I said I could cure the chief's deformity... what price would the chief be willing to offer in exchange?"

(End of this chapter)