Day and night tour

Chapter 416 The Shadowless Rat

"You can corrupt the Heavenly Book?"

The Tortoise Shell Taoist was somewhat skeptical of Sai Jinhua's words.

"Since it can corrupt the Mingjiang Prefecture rebuilt by Zhou Xuan, my king can corrupt the Heavenly Book."

Sai Jinhua said, "However, it will take time."

“If you explain it in detail, what you said is actually quite interesting.”

The Taoist priest with the tortoise shell asked Sai Jinhua to continue.

Seeing that her words had finally won over the Tortoise Shell Taoist, Sai Jinhua immediately gained confidence and said, "Master Taoist, as long as you create a dream that controls Zhou Xuan and renders him powerless to resist, my Rat King will pour all his consciousness into Zhou Xuan's secret realm."

Once my king enters Zhou Xuan's secret realm, he will be able to control Zhou Xuan, and thus control the Heavenly Book.

"My king has heard that you also want Zhou Xuan's Heavenly Book. In the future, my king will corrupt Zhou Xuan's mind and become the new Zhou Xuan. As for the Heavenly Book, my king will erase Zhou Xuan's consciousness in the heavens, and the Heavenly Book will be yours."

"What our king wants is Zhou Xuan's life, and that drop of blood from his body! What you want is Zhou Xuan's Heavenly Book and his life."
"We will both thoroughly dismember Zhou Xuan."

Sai Jinhua has already started to make her plans for the Rat King.

However, despite her clever plan, the tortoise-shell Taoist spat in her face.

"Is this how you rats in the gutter operate? Control Zhou Xuan? How? If we could control him, why would my master need to join forces with you? We could just kill Zhou Xuan ourselves, why would we let you rats in the gutter reap the benefits?"

Sai Jinhua wiped the spittle from her face and said, "Master Dao, don't be anxious. If Bifang were to enter Mingjiang alone, it would indeed be difficult for him to control Zhou Xuan."
But don't forget, our rat king has an overwhelming capacity for differentiation, and countless other little mice.

"I'll give you one more chance to explain. If your proposed solution still doesn't meet my expectations, then get out of here and don't waste my precious time."

Guishan Daoren issued an ultimatum, telling Sai Jinhua to explain herself properly.

"Master Dao, in the past few days, Zhou Xuan, with the men of the Wandering God Division, has captured quite a few scoundrels and locked them all in the teaching building of Huifeng Medical College."

The "mouse" that Sai Jinhua mentioned refers to the people of Mingjiang Prefecture who were contaminated. They all suffered from rat-like disease and had some rat-like characteristics.

If someone is extremely ill, their whole body will turn into a big, dark, rat-like creature.

Zhou Xuan did not kill these people, but instead imprisoned them in the teaching building.

Sai Jinhua said, "The Rat King can make those little mice go berserk at any time. There are many of them, and if they all go berserk at the same time, Mingjiang Prefecture will be in chaos. Ancient Tree Golden Bell, Peach Blossom Ancestral Tree, Pengjia Town, and Youshen Division will all be busy dealing with them."
This is our opportunity.

She pointed towards East Market Street and said, "Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Rat King will unleash a cloud of black mist, enveloping East Market Street. Within two or three incense sticks' time, no one can enter that cloud of black mist without the Rat King's permission."

This time shrouded in mist was the opportunity for the deity Bifang to have a one-on-one duel with Zhou Xuan.

Her meaning was clear: to take advantage of the chaos in Mingjiang Prefecture to create an opportune moment for Bifang to single-handedly defeat Zhou Xuan.

As a celestial deity above the nine incense sticks in the heavens, Bifang could at least control Zhou Xuan in a one-on-one fight, if not kill him within the time it takes to burn three incense sticks, thus giving the Rat King a chance to corrupt him.

"To appease them is to show an alliance."

Zhou Xuan understood the Rat King's backup plan, and then wrote characters on the back of the Turtle Mountain Taoist.

Guishan Daoren understood and said, "If the Rat King has such abilities, then he is worthy to join forces with my master. However, you make it sound very impressive. Do you have the real skills? I need to go and see the Rat King."

Behind him stood Zhou Xuan, hidden in the void. Within his small territory of Mingjiang Prefecture, there was nowhere he dared not go.

Therefore, he spoke with great confidence.

"Lord Rat King, you are waiting for us in the Wind Gathering Cave of the Cathedral. If you are willing to come, you can come with us to see the Rat King now."

Sai Jinhua said.

"lead the way."

"That's what Guishan Daoren said."

"please."

Sai Jinhua whistled at the mice behind her, and the mice that had been kneeling upright stood up one by one, sticking out their blood-red tongues and spitting out a cloud of black smoke.

Several wisps of black smoke condensed into a sedan chair. Sai Jinhua said, "Please take a seat, Daoist. This sedan chair can take you to see my Rat King."

"If I go up there, you'll send me to some dark, secluded place..."

On the surface, Guishan Daoren was expressing his hidden worries, but in reality, he was waiting for Zhou Xuan's instructions.

This black mist sedan chair can obviously only carry one person, so he is destined to part ways with Zhou Xuan. How can he go to see the Rat King alone?
Zhou Xuan then wrote on the back of the Taoist Guishan: "Get into the sedan chair, I will naturally follow."

With Zhou Xuan's confident answer, Guishan Daoist no longer hesitated. He patted the wrinkles on his Daoist robe with a flourish and boarded the black mist sedan chair.

As soon as he settled in, the sedan chair began to sway and float, with the earth and the city passing beneath it.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan released his cerebellum, which flew almost skimming the ground, passing through grass, field ridges, and dense forests, tracking Guishan Daoren.

Finally, the sedan chair stopped at a dilapidated church on the stadium road.

On the remaining half of the plaque at the church, two large characters are displayed: "Sadd" (meaning "Peace and Rest").

Before the disaster, Qiuchang Road was the street with the most churches in Mingjiang Prefecture. Churches of all sizes and types were gathered in this area.

The largest church here is the Xi'an Cathedral, which houses over seventy missionaries who, dressed in black robes, distribute leaflets throughout Mingjiang Prefecture every day.

Besides having many missionaries, the church also spared no effort in other promotional channels, such as buying billboards outside movie theaters.
For example, Zhou Xuan had been subscribing to the middle margin of some major newspapers for a long time, and he had even seen an advertisement with the slogan "The Cathedral of the Church of the Seventh Anniversary of the Assumption, a sanctuary for restless lives."

"A shrew like a rat in the gutter would actually choose such a dilapidated church as its hideout?"

After Zhou Xuan reported the specific location to Cerebellum, he took a day trip to the "Cathedral of St. Anne".

The dilapidated church, ironically, had a strange eerie feeling, and he followed the Taoist priest Guishan in a "hidden" manner, like a shadow.

"I've already arrived."

Zhou Xuan was writing characters behind the Taoist priest of Guishan.

Sensing that Zhou Xuan had returned to his side, the old tortoise's confidence surged. He immediately put his hands behind his back and shouted loudly, "Rat King, I've arrived. Where are you?"

"Here it is."

Hundreds of rat-like figures darted swiftly through the ruins of the church, their movements incredibly agile, even more nimble than the tree-climbing monkeys of the old forests along the river.

A large, blind mouse sat on the wide chair that originally belonged to the bishop of the church, glancing sideways at the Taoist priest Guishan.

Because of its enormous size, the bench that could originally seat three or four people at the same time now seemed too crowded, creating an incongruous feeling of an adult sitting on a small rocking horse.

"Where did you come from, Taoist priest, coming here to mess with your Rat King?"

The blind mouse showed no excitement at the arrival of the Taoist priest from Guishan. Instead, it preemptively shouted a rebuke.

The Taoist priest from Guishan remained unfazed and said, “These rotten rats that eat shit in the ditch don’t know their stuff. I am the number one Taoist under Bifang – Taoist Jia.”

"You are your mother's best friend."

Blind Mouse stood up with his hands behind his back and said, "Today, Zhou Xuan in Jingchuan Prefecture didn't kill the Green-Robed Buddha at all; he killed Bifang. If you were a Taoist priest, you would have died in Jingchuan Prefecture long ago."

"My little mouse has brought back news from Jingchuan Prefecture."

The blind mouse immediately bit off a piece of its own arm and threw it into the church ruins. The other mice looked at the severed arm and their eyes gleamed with greed. However, due to the blind mouse's imposing presence, none of them dared to approach and eat it.

When the blind mouse waved its hand, the mice swarmed forward and devoured the severed arm, leaving not even a bone fragment.

“You bunch of missionaries, now that you’ve taken advantage of me, get to work properly. Drain that Taoist’s heart and hear what he really thinks.”

The blind mouse scolded.

Guishan Daoist was now completely panicked.

He thought he was there to "use someone else's name to make a big show of things," putting on airs, but he never expected that those rats had already seen through his identity.
"What should we do, sir?"

Guishan Daoren asked in an almost inaudible voice.

Zhou Xuan did not respond.

"Sir, you should give me some advice. These mice are quite fierce."

By this time, four or five mice had surrounded Guishan Daoren, crawling on all fours and slowly circling around him.

The remaining mice slowly surrounded him, seemingly ready to tear Guishan Daoren apart and devour him.

"Master, Master... Damn it!"

The Taoist priest from Guishan called out softly several times, but Zhou Xuan did not respond.

He was momentarily dazed—the master said he was setting a trap, could it be a trap for him, the Taoist of Guishan?
"Hey! Hiss!"

The mice, each with its bright red tongue lolling out and fangs bared, moved closer and closer to the Taoist priest of Guishan.

Guishan Daoist had no other choice but to fight back.

He made a hand seal with his right hand, silently recited a spell four or five times, and condensed a talisman. If any mouse went first, he would stick one on its forehead.

He is the "guardian of the temple," meaning he has no incense offerings within his body; the temple where he resides is his source of incense.

Now, his Taoist temple is far away on Little Turtle Mountain, and distant water can't quench immediate thirst. The only means he can rely on is this ordinary Taoist talisman.

His talisman could easily subdue one or two mice, but when so many mice swarmed him, his talisman had only one purpose—to die with dignity, at least showing that the Taoist master had resisted in life.

"What are you still doing wandering around there? Just rip his heart out."

The blind mouse roared again.

"Hiss, hiss."

The mice's encirclement was getting tighter and tighter; Guishan Daoren had even thought about what polite words he would say before he died.

At that moment, Zhou Xuan formed characters on his back.

"The blind rats aren't the rat king; they're trying to trick you."

"Shout loudly at that blind rat, and I'll show you how to prove its identity."

Zhou Xuan hadn't spoken yet; instead, he had been carefully observing the momentum of these mice.

He discovered that these mice, though they appeared fierce, did not exhibit any real aggressive behavior; it was merely a superficial attack.

If the blind mouse truly believed that Guishan Daoist was a "fake Daoist," it would have dissected the old tortoise alive in no time, instead of dawdling like this.

"It's probably another test by the Rat King. Since the Rat King is so cunning, the blind rat that has appeared now must not be the Rat King."

Zhou Xuan saw through the situation and then gave instructions to the Taoist of Guishan.

Guishan Daoist quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, venting all the anger he had felt from the fright he had just suffered.

He pointed at the blind mouse and roared, "You little mouse, you look like you weigh several hundred pounds, what kind of mouse king are you pretending to be?"
"You worthless little brats, you think you can see my master? You're dreaming!"

At this point, the Taoist priest of Guishan feigned leaving and strode towards the church exit.

Several small mice blocked his way. Guishan Daoist kicked them all away, panting and cursing, "A superior Taoist ascends to immortality in seven days. I am a superior Taoist. If I had a few more days, I would have burned nine incense sticks and then I would have twisted off the heads of all of you rats and kicked them like balls."

As he spoke, he made a kicking motion, pointing his toes at the blackened goal in the distance.

This place is called Stadium Road, and there are many football fields here.

As soon as he made his move, the blind rat with the broken arm softened his attitude and said with a smile, "Master Dao, don't blame us for being troublesome. It's just that Zhou Xuan has too many tricks up his sleeve, and we have no choice but to be on guard."

"We mice did indeed find out that Zhou Xuan killed the Buddha in blue robes, but my king finds it strange—"

"The feud between Zhou Xuan and the Green-Robed Buddha shouldn't be so serious as to be a life-or-death struggle. He was suspicious, which is why he had us test our skills."

"Ignore him and keep walking."

Zhou Xuan continued to instruct the Taoist of Guishan on how to form characters.

His goal was simply to meet the real Rat King, whose consciousness could infinitely divide, making him difficult to capture. If even a single part of his consciousness escaped, it would be as if the entire Rat King had escaped.

Zhou Xuan's plan for tonight is to force out the Rat King, then extract all of his consciousness, and finally lay a trap so that he has nowhere to escape.

Having received instructions, the Taoist priest of Guishan moved with incredible speed, taking two steps at a time and covering more than ten meters in a row. At this moment, the blind mouse, seeing that it could not stop the Taoist priest of Guishan, hurriedly kowtowed to the statue behind the church: "Your Majesty, the Taoist priest is angry, and none of us can stop him."

"Ah."

Someone inside the statue actually responded.

After a heavy response, a crack appeared on the outer shell of the goddess statue, and a deep sound came from within the statue.

"Master Jia, please wait a moment."

The Rat King personally intervened to dissuade the Taoist priest from Turtle Mountain.

The Taoist priest from Guishan continued walking without stopping, and a wisp of black mist emerged from the goddess statue and drifted over.

"What, are you trying to force me to stay?"

The Taoist priest from Guishan glanced sideways at the black mist, his cultivation level of five incense sticks forcibly exuding the aura of nine incense sticks.

"How dare I force you to stay? Daoist Master and Master Bi are celestial beings. In the end, I am nothing more than a spirit who has only cultivated some Taoist skills."

"However, Bi Shenye and I share a common goal: to kill Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan is not an easy person to kill. I cannot accomplish this without Bi Shenye, or Bi Shenye cannot accomplish this without me."

While the Rat King was trying to persuade the Taoist of Turtle Mountain, Zhou Xuan watched coldly from the sidelines, carefully analyzing whether the person who spoke up was the real Rat King.

He observed the mice, and the blind mouse that had just acted as the king of the mice.
He discovered that whenever the "Rat King" spoke, the eyes of the crowd would reveal a look of worship and awe.

This expression comes from the heart; it's hard to fake.
Moreover, one or two mice can fill the gaps, but dozens of mice can all fill the gaps so well that not one of them is exposed.

Are they all award-winning actors?

As Zhou Xuan thought of this, he felt that the time was ripe and was about to make his move and activate his magic trick when he suddenly stopped.

"No, that's strange."

It's true that all the mice showed expressions of awe and worship when the "Rat King" spoke, but—their expressions were almost identical, as if they were completely synchronized.

“Each mouse is an individual, each mouse has its own thoughts, and their respect and worship for the mouse king will never be highly consistent.”

The way you look at someone with respect and the way you show special respect for someone are completely different.

All these mice are synchronized in a consistent manner, which is "impermanence".

Unexpected events often indicate something sinister.

The "Rat King" in the goddess statue is still a smokescreen.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but feel that the Rat King was truly cunning; even in this predicament, it still didn't reveal its true form.

"If we don't reveal the real thing, the Rat King won't take the bait."

Zhou Xuan secretly left the church, and then his spirit traveled around, shifting his form and appearance, until he arrived at the Mingjiang Bell Tower.

Panshan Eagle is on the bell tower. He is now the supervisory eye of Mingjiang Prefecture. His daily task is to release the divine eagle from the bell tower to patrol Mingjiang Prefecture.

Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, Pan Shanying, who was lying on the sofa drinking tea, immediately stood up, bowed his head as if welcoming a leader on an inspection tour, and said, "Master."

On the bell tower, besides the Panshan Eagle, there is also the true Daoist of Bifang—Jia Dao.

Jia Dao was sent to the human world by Bi Fang specifically to deal with Zhou Xuan.

Unexpectedly, Jia Dao was modified by the engineer and became Zhou Xuan's man.

Now that Bi Fang is dead, Jia Dao is homeless.

When he was bored, he would come up to the clock tower to look at the scenery of Mingjiang River and spend some leisure time.

Jia Dao bowed to Zhou Xuan, removed his hat, and said, "Congratulations, Master, on beheading Bi Fang."

"Jia Dao, what are your plans for the future?"

"From now on, I will obey the orders of the Master," Jia Dao said sincerely.

"Don't listen to my orders anymore. My master, Yuan Buyu, will become the new storyteller god. Once the Rat King is killed, you will go and follow him."

Zhou Xuan said.

It is reasonable for a storyteller's Taoist priest to follow a new storyteller's deity.

"Yes, sir." Jia Dao removed his hat and bowed again.

Zhou Xuan then took out the "Bifang Golden Token" and asked Jia, "From now on, let's not be so formal. Let me ask you, if I throw this golden token somewhere, will my voice be able to come out of this golden token?"

"Naturally."

"The golden token is a storyteller's ancestral artifact. It forms a bond with whichever storyteller it is in his hands... Hiss?"

As Jia Daozheng answered Zhou Xuan's questions honestly, he suddenly noticed the Wu family runes on the golden token. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the golden token.

"I told you not to be so formal, why are you kneeling?"

"Sir, is this the handwriting of the Witch God?"

Jia Dao raised his face and asked.

"You can tell?"

"When I came to the mortal realm this time, the temple I randomly chose was the witch's. The witch clan's magic is passed down from one lineage. Ordinary witches are far from the witch gods in terms of their abilities. How could I not recognize them?"

These words were also a form of self-deprecation by Jia Dao.

Only when a disciple who has been a disciple for eight incense sticks or more dies will their remains be chosen by the gods in heaven to serve as a Daoist.

Jia Dao is a "superior Daoist". When he was pulled to the heavens by the divine thread, it had already been nine incense sticks. His vision was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary disciples.

It's not surprising that he recognized the sorcerer's methods; it would be surprising if he hadn't.

"With the sorcerer's handwriting, can this golden token still transmit my voice?"

"of course can."

Jia asked again, "However, may I ask what you intend to do with this gold token, sir?"

“It’s like the Rat King is sending a false message—that Bifang is personally visiting the Cathedral of St. John.” Zhou Xuan explained the function of the golden token.

Jia Dao immediately nodded and said, "It can transmit sound, and because it is the work of the Witch God, if the Golden Token is released, its momentum will be no less than that of Bi Fang's personal presence."

"That makes things easier."

After receiving the reply, Zhou Xuan said to Pan Shanying, "Old Pan, may I borrow your precious land for a moment?"

“Sir, please make yourself at home,” Panshan Eagle replied quickly.

Zhou Xuan stood at the edge of the bell tower, raised his sleeve, and threw the golden token out.

The golden token grew taller with the wind, and after flying only a few hundred feet, it had already grown into a small golden tree...

……

In front of the Church of St. Simon,

Guishan Daoren was pulling at a blind mouse.

The Taoist priest of Guishan wanted to leave, while the blind mouse wanted to stay.

Guishan Daoist pretended to leave but really wanted to stay, while Blind Mouse really wanted to stay but was afraid that Guishan Daoist was a "foreshadowing" laid by Zhou Xuan.

The struggle between the two sides wasn't enough; the voice from the goddess statue also urged Guishan Daoist: "Daoist, I, the Rat King, have already shown myself and given you face. You should stay and summon your master, Bi Shenye, to discuss important matters with me."

Without Zhou Xuan's instructions, Guishan Daoist refused to respond and instead played coy with the "Rat King," neither saying that he would invite Bifang to descend to the mortal realm nor that he would not.

Just as the two sides were locked in a struggle, a sound of something breaking through the air came from the horizon, and a golden light, like a bright station light, illuminated the St. Sirén Cathedral as if it were daytime.

Everyone looked up and saw a small golden tree falling from hundreds of meters in the air and plunging straight into the ruins of the cathedral.

"Boom!"

The golden sapling, with its powerful and heavy roots, stirred up a misty haze as it entered the church.

When the dust settled, all the mice were awed by the imposing presence of the "golden tree," feeling their flesh churn and unable to look directly at it.

The blind mouse merely twitched its nose and smelled the divine scent. It immediately prostrated itself on the ground, its forehead touching the ground to show its piety, and loudly proclaimed, "The Shadowless Mouse under the Rat King's throne pays homage to the Celestial God Bi."

As soon as he finished speaking, the "golden tree" sank another half foot.

The rapid, thunderous descent brought forth boundless momentum, sending the blind mouse flying back more than ten feet.

The blind mouse, like an autumn leaf falling, drifted aimlessly and smashed a half-broken stone pillar of the church to pieces.

The impact felt as if a shovel had been thrust into his internal organs out of nowhere, roughly churning them and causing him to vomit blood repeatedly.
The large black rat, which was just moments ago alive, was now barely breathing.
But he still persevered, exclaiming, "The methods of the gods are truly extraordinary."

The force of the falling gold token not only shocked the blind mouse, but also the goddess statue whose shell had cracked.

With a loud "bang," the goddess statue shattered into pieces, and a white rat the size of an adult rolled out of the statue.

The white mouse had a large belly, as if it were pregnant, but its belly was covered with holes, and blood was flowing from the holes. They were obviously fresh blood holes.

"I am Wuyingshu, paying my respects to Lord Bi."

The blind mouse from before called itself "the Shadowless Mouse under the King of Rats," and this big white mouse also calls itself "the Shadowless Mouse."

Guishan Daoren, through the blood hole on the white rat's belly and the name it was given, realized that the hundreds of small mice and blind mice around them had all been "born" from the belly of the Shadowless White Rat.

In other words, the hundreds of rat spirits that just appeared were actually just one shadowless rat.

The old tortoise finally saw the truth, but Zhou Xuan had already guessed most of it. His purpose in sending the golden token this time was to force out the real Rat King.

He imitated the voice of "Bifang," controlling the golden token and bringing out the whispers of the gods.

"Where is the Jia Dao?"

“Master, Daoist Jia is here.” Daoist Guishan immediately knelt down.

“You’re becoming more and more useless. I asked you to find help for me, but you’ve only brought me some cowardly rats. Now go back to Guishan Taoist Temple. The help I found will be here soon.”

Knowing that Zhou Xuan was trying to create a sense of urgency for the Rat King, Daoist Guishan raised his voice and asked, "May I ask which kind of expert you have found as a helper this time?"

"The long river and the great river have bitter ghosts, and the desert and sea of ​​Huangyuan produce great demons."

"That wretched ghost always helps Zhou Xuan, so I suppose Master wouldn't ask him for help... Is the helper Master has found the great demon Huangyuan?"

Guishan Daoist listened as if it were the truth, his expression one of astonishment.

"Since you know this, why don't you hurry back to the Taoist temple instead of running around here playing music with these wild rats?"

"As ordered."

Taoist Guishan rose and continued to leave with unwavering confidence.

He had only taken four or five steps when a burst of mocking laughter came from beneath the St. Sirach's Cathedral.

“Bi Shenming and Jia Daozhe, you have the advantage of being close to the source, yet you insist on seeking help from afar… Is the Great Demon Huangyuan someone you can cooperate with? Whoever does something for him, he will put a dog chain around their neck.”

"Bi Shenming, don't be confused."

The sound came from underground; every word that was uttered caused the surrounding earth to tremble.

What lies buried underground appears to be a colossal creature.

"Who are you?"

Zhou Xuan asked the question knowingly, because he knew that the real big fish had taken the bait.

"I am the Rat King of Mingjiang, but that's what I'm called now. In the past, my followers called me the 'God of Auspicious Words'."

The Rat King's voice continued to reverberate uneasily beneath the earth...

(End of this chapter)