Day and night tour

Chapter 413 The Witch God's Journey
The Taoist priest was going to collect Bifang's body.

This is one of his responsibilities while he is living among people.

"Just because you want to accept it, does that mean they'll let you?"

The dreamlike deity mocked the incense-burning Taoist priest.

If the Taoist priests were to appear, Zhou Xuan would know that these two celestial beings were both in the heavens, watching this civil war among storytellers.

Then Zhou Xuan would have something to say: "When I was fighting Bi Fang to the death, neither of you came to help. Now that I've finally dealt with Bi Fang, you two gods are going to suffer the consequences."

Have you no shame?
“He won’t let me collect the body, but I still have to go. I can’t be like you, hiding in the Time Realm every day, just looking for an easy bargain to pick up.”

The incense-burning Taoist priest still didn't forget to deliver a sharp rebuke to the Dream God.

"Besides, there are ways to handle the matter of collecting the body."

The incense-burning Taoist priest said this.

How to adapt?

The celestial being in the dream asked.

The Taoist priest coughed lightly, recalling the incident of slaying the stars.

"Qunxing" is Zhexing's older brother, and also the Nine Incense Sticks of the Human World.

Whenever someone in the human world dies, the Taoist priests who perform the rituals must take their body back to the other world to report the incident.

Unless it's like the time of the Heaven and Earth Chess Game, when Zhe Xing, Zhao Qingxiao, and Gong Zheng died and completely dispersed, the corpses on the nine incense sticks must be brought back to the world of time and space.

"However, although I brought Qunxing's body back at the time, it was Zhou Housheng who tipped me off, so he deserves a lot of credit."

"Therefore, in order not to discourage those who have made contributions, I will..."

"You just made a compromise?" the Dream God asked.

"That's natural."

The incense-burning Taoist priest said, "I cut off the lion's head from the constellation and gave it to Zhou Xuan, while taking the rest of the body back to the world of time and space."

"This time, the elimination of Bifang was entirely due to the efforts of Zhou Xuan and the others. I need to make more adjustments."

He held up one finger and said, "One of Bifang's arms."

Upon hearing this, even the gods of dreams scoffed, looking down on the incense-burning Taoist priests for being petty.

"Zhou Xuan, from planning to fighting, used extraordinary methods in every aspect, but after all that effort, all you gave him was an arm?"

"That arm was the one I took back to report; the rest belonged to them."

After recounting this, the Taoist priest rode his black donkey toward Zhou Xuan.

The donkey took a step, and the old Taoist priest disappeared. However, a few moments later, he returned.

The old Taoist priest stared at Mr. Ye's main hall as if he had spotted some danger.

"Why are you back again?"

The horn of the dream god sounded softly.

"He's awake, the Witch God has awakened."

A blood talisman appeared on the whisk of the Taoist priest, a talisman belonging to the Wu family.

There are not many people in the world who can place talismans on his whisk.

He reached out, his palm lightly brushing across the talisman, erasing the sorcery. After carefully contemplating it for a while, he spoke to the Dream God.
"The Witch God told us to leave, so Bi Fang's body was left to Zhou Xuan."

Should I leave?

"Come on, do you think you can defeat the Witch God?"

The Taoist priest asked the gods of dreams.

"If we can't beat them, then of course we'll have to retreat when the wind blows."

The dream god Ba had to go see the witch god to avoid being asked about the Buddhist kingdom.

He turned the horn around and was about to fly towards the Time Realm when a beast's roar came from inside the main hall.

"Roar!"

The roar sounded like a tiger or a lion, but it didn't hold up to scrutiny. Upon closer listening, it became clear that it was a human making the noise.

These kinds of sounds are called the sounds of "witch beasts".

In ancient times, the ancient shamans and ancestors would emit similar howls of wild beasts and fierce ghosts during sacrifices.

The sounds of the sorcerer beasts within the main hall echoed into the sky, causing the clouds to change color; a white cloud transformed into a dark one.

Within the dark clouds, a needle materialized, continuously drawing strange runes on the horn of the Dream God.

At this moment, the Dream God seemed to be experiencing unbearable pain, letting out an extremely miserable howl.

"Witch God, the sin of the Buddhist Kingdom's invasion is not mine. What's the use of torturing me?"

The dream god roared fiercely, defending himself.

"Today, I'm just giving you a little punishment. This extreme pain will haunt you. Just wait, soon I will go to the Realm of Time to have a good talk with you."

An extremely ancient voice echoed in the ears of the dream god.

"roll!"

From the main hall, an extremely powerful aura was released, sweeping the horn of the Dream God into the Realm of Time.

The incense-offering Taoist priest tapped his brow with his right hand, as if asking the shaman god if he could leave.

"Ah."

A deep, resonant reply, like a pass, was received, and the incense master immediately rode off on his donkey and fled.

It is said that the God of Sorcery is the closest to the Supreme Will of the Heavenly Venerable, because, apart from being concerned about the fate of the Well Kingdom, the God of Sorcery is also as cruel as the "Supreme Will".

Just thinking about the methods of the witch god, even if the Taoist priests who have done nothing wrong are unwilling to face the witch god directly.

……

“Mr. Bai Liu, Bi Fang was able to descend to the mortal realm, and I was able to set up an ambush on all sides, all thanks to you. Take this lump of minced meat first.”

Zhou Xuan whipped up a gust of wind and gave one-fifth of the minced meat to Bai Liu.

Bai Liu bowed, holding a fan, and thanked Zhou Xuan for the "reward of meat".

"Old Yun, Li Shanzu, Brother Peng, and King Xishan, you have come all the way from Mingjiang Prefecture to lend your support. Your kindness is truly admirable. You may take these scraps of meat."

Zhou Xuan used his fan again to separate a portion of the minced meat.

"Chief Earth Child, you've come to my aid because we had an agreement: you help me kill Bi Fang, and I'll help you find your mother's reincarnation and get rid of the strange appearance of the Earth Child."

Our relationship was originally just business... However, business is business, and sentiment is sentiment. You can take these scraps of meat.

Zhou Xuan separated nearly one-tenth of the minced meat and handed it to Di Tong.

The Earth Child shook his head, refusing to accept the offering, and said, "Master, don't you know my situation? After I enter the Nine Incense Sticks stage, all the incense I obtain each day through cultivation must be offered to the 'Earth Child'."
"Even if you give me a lot of divine flesh and I eat and refine it, it's still the Earth God getting the benefit for nothing. Why should he get any benefit?"

Di Zi was unwilling to collect the scraps of meat, but he accepted Zhou Xuan's offer.

After Yuan Buyu, Zhou Lingyi, Master Jiu, and others received their pieces of meat, the "meat distribution" segment came to a successful conclusion.

"Gentlemen, although Bi Fang is dead, I still have a major problem to deal with in Mingjiang. Therefore, we must suppress the news of Bi Fang's death as much as possible and not make it public."

Zhou Xuan also wants to use Bi Fang's reputation to form an alliance with the Earth Abyss Rat. If news of Bi Fang's death spreads, can the Earth Rat still form an alliance?
At this moment, Li Changxun had a different opinion. He said, "Master, I'm afraid this can't be hidden. When a god falls, there are extraordinary phenomena in the heavens..."

"Can the ground rat determine from the strange phenomena that the fallen god must be Bifang?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"That's not possible."

"That'll be easy."

Zhou Xuan said, “Let’s change our strategy. You spread the word that we killed a god, and that you and I killed a Heavenly God-level being in Jingchuan Prefecture... the Blue-Robed Buddha.”

This Buddha in blue robes is the only great Buddha in the sky.

Moreover, this Buddha statue has a long-standing connection with Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan's "Return to the Palace with a Record of Injustice Rectified" was originally an item belonging to the Buddha in blue, and he even had to rely on a Daoist to descend to the mortal realm to seize it, only to be forced back by Lord Arrow.

Now, it's just right to let the Buddha in blue take the blame for being "beheaded".

Furthermore, Zhou Xuan's reputation for slaying gods will exert greater pressure on the moles, which will facilitate their alliance.

"So good."

Yun Ziliang thought Zhou Xuan's idea was excellent. If it were any other god, they would certainly not be able to bear the stigma of being "beheaded".

They only need to show themselves slightly, and Zhou Xuan's lies will be exposed. But what about the blue-robed Buddha?

Zhao Wuyai is "Wuyai Chan," an avatar of the ancient Buddha, while Zhou Xuan's Taoist robe contains the head of the ancient Buddha within its cloud patterns. Both are supreme beings in Buddhism, suppressing the blue-robed Buddha in every way.

The blue-robed Buddha had to accept the stigma, even if he didn't want to. If he didn't want to, then he could go and talk to the ancient Buddha.

"My brother has made thorough arrangements. The link to the tree gate is beckoning us; we must go ahead."

Seeing that Zhou Xuan had handled everything properly, Zhou Lingyi felt relieved and prepared to return to Pingshui Prefecture with Master Jiu and Yuan Buyu.

As for Yuan Buyu, this old storyteller, he really reaped a rich harvest. He had originally received a portion of "Bifang flesh and blood" from Zhou Xuan.
Mr. Bai Liu then took a portion of the scraps of meat he had received and gave it to Yuan Buyu.

"Old Yuan, you know, I'm really obsessed with storytelling. I don't really care that much about incense and cultivation. My current level of incense cultivation is already higher than yours. If you get more scraps of flesh, when will you ever catch up to my level?"

Mr. Bai Liu said with a smile, "So you need to eat more flesh and blood to replenish your incense offerings. The storyteller's hall needs to have a deity as soon as possible."

Yuan Buyu was immediately moved and even extended an invitation to Mr. Bai Liu to visit Pingshui Prefecture.

"Go to the Zhou family troupe and try my cooking. I'm not bragging, but my culinary skills far surpass those of my storytelling."

"Even if I can't go, I usually eat mostly vegetarian food and very little meat. With so much vegetarian food, even the best cooking skills will be somewhat diminished."

As soon as Mr. Bai Liu finished speaking, Yuan Buyu became interested and said, "If you like vegetarian food, then you should definitely visit the Zhou family troupe. I'll give you a secret recipe that my apprentice taught me—five-spice tofu with peanuts, which tastes like ham."

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled in perfect unison, with Mr. Bai Liu, Yuan Buyu, and Zhou Xuan laughing even more in unison.

"Dear friends, see you another day."

After laughing, Yuan Buyu clasped his hands in a fist salute, and both he and Zhou Lingyi's figures began to fade.
This is the Zhou family's ancestral tree, "Tree Gate," pulling them back to the mansion. But strangely, the Wine Master, who was also sent over by "Tree Gate," showed no signs of fading.

He was still catching up with Di Tong, unaware that his own figure hadn't faded.
After chatting with Di Tong for a while, he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Gentlemen, if we go to Ping Shui Prefecture another day, I dare not say anything else, but I will still prepare a table of good wine and food for you all. Our friendship will remain unchanged, and our friendship will last forever..."

"Master Jiu, please stop drinking that water... My master and sister have already passed away."

Zhou Xuan said jokingly.

"What?"

Only then did Master Jiu realize what was happening. He looked around and, good heavens, Zhou Lingyi and Yuan Buyu were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" Master Jiu asked Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan shrugged and said, "They've already been taken away by the Tree Gate."

"Why? Why take them away but not me?"

Mr. Jiu was speechless.

His journey from Pingshui Prefecture to Jingchuan Prefecture was not of his own choosing—he had no intention of coming at all; he wanted to join Lord Jian in helping the Zhou family guard the ancestral tree.

As a result, Zu Shu forcibly sent him a link, bringing him to Mr. Ye's headquarters.

Now that Bi Fang is dead, everyone should go home, but Master Jiu was left in the main hall again.

"Oh dear, the train from Jingchuan to Pingshui is today, I don't know if I'll make it."

"I'm joking about it," the man said self-deprecatingly.

Zhou Xuan leaned close to his ear and said, "Lord Jiu, isn't your background a bit special? Perhaps you have some connection with that witch god?"

"What does the Witch God have to do with me?" The Wine Master shook his head like a rattle drum.

Zhou Xuan opened a folding fan stained with blood.

This folding fan is a "relic" left by Bi Fang. The fan surface has been cracked beyond recognition since Bi Fang's death.

However, even with severe damage, the writing on the fan surface is still discernible.

“Master Jiu, look, this Bifang fan has our surnames on it: Li, Yun, Hu, Peng, Zhou… but not 'Jiu' (wine).

Zhou Xuan said, "The surnames on this fan are the ones Bifang used to nail our fates to a dream with golden tokens, making it impossible for us to escape that great dream."

But... he didn't nail you.

"Then why didn't he nail me?" Master Jiu was still a little stunned.

“Bi Fang said that there is a witch god in Mr. Ye’s main hall. This statement should not be unfounded.”

Zhou Xuan added, "The Witch God is a Heavenly Venerable and cannot be awakened. Otherwise, it might cause the tragedy of the Blood Well that occurred sixty years ago."

"But Bifang is terrified of the Witch God, yet he dares not kill you. Therefore, I believe that Lord Jiu must have some connection with that Witch God."
In conclusion, I estimate that the sorcerer god won't just watch you die; if you are on the verge of death, the sorcerer god will reappear in the mortal realm.

Zhou Xuan's incisive analysis left Lord Jiu speechless.

He replied blankly, "Really?"

His instinctive, bewildered question made the man's red nose appear somewhat brighter.

"Did you solve the mystery of my own origins that I myself didn't know?"

"Not many people know the mystery of your origins, but the Ancestral Tree knows that you didn't want to come to Mr. Ye's headquarters. It insisted on sending you here so that you could provide us with an insurance policy when you kill Bifang."
Now you want to return to Ping Shui Mansion, but it won't send you off; I'm afraid... the Witch God is about to appear.

As Zhou Xuan spoke, a strong wind arose in the courtyard of Mr. Ye's main hall.

Blood was seeping from the cracks between the blue bricks and stones.

The Wine Master then heard a summons.

"Xiao Jiu, come here, come a little more."

The man, like a sleepwalking patient, lost control of his body and walked numbly through the courtyard of the main hall.

Each step he took seemed to follow a certain pattern, and after taking dozens of steps, a drop of blood appeared between his eyebrows.

The drop of blood meandered along the man's forehead, flowing straight to his nose before disappearing inside.

The expression on the wine master's face suddenly changed drastically, and an extremely fierce aura surged out from his sleeves.

As soon as this aura was unleashed, the people around either fell to the ground or stood up unsteadily.

Mr. Bai Liu's level of incense offerings was the lowest, second only to Zhou Xuan. He was almost forced to kneel down by the pressure, but fortunately, Meng Yu'er swam beside him, relieving much of the pressure.

Zhou Xuan, however, stood ramrod straight, showing no sign of feeling oppressed.

His ability to remain calm and composed is largely due to his encounter with the "supreme will" in his dream.

"I can chat and laugh with the Supreme Will, how could I be forced to submit to your Heavenly Venerable aura?"

Zhou Xuan felt secretly proud, but when he looked down and saw the cloud patterns on his Taoist robe, which were sometimes bright and sometimes dim, he realized that his fearlessness in the face of the Heavenly Venerable was not because he was used to grand occasions, but because the "gentle breeze and great dream" had taken effect.

"The storyteller's world is quite different; the one who possesses divine authority is not necessarily the god of storytelling."

Only by mastering this profound and subtle dream can one be considered an unparalleled master storyteller.

The Master of Wine turned around, looked at Zhou Xuan, and smiled slightly: "Zhou Xuan, while I was asleep in the main hall, I also heard about your deeds. You are a formidable young man, a truly formidable young man..."

He walked towards Zhou Xuan step by step, each step carrying a natural feeling of harmony with heaven and earth.

It was as if he was the world itself.

"Witch God, you descended into Lord Wine's body at this juncture, perhaps because you have something to say to me?"

"Indeed, it seems that many things cannot be hidden from your eyes."

The wine master said coldly, "If only you had come to the Kingdom of Jing years ago, you would have been more suitable to be my human servant than I am."

The will of the witch god had been clearly revealed, and a pool of blood rose from beneath Zhou Xuan's feet.

Blood Well, one of the Celestial Venerables, revealed itself in the face of the threat from the Witch God…

(End of this chapter)