Day and night tour

Chapter 435 Pisces' Birth
The shimmering light at the tail of the giant fish was fleeting, but it did not escape Zhou Xuan's perception.

His gaze shifted to the fish tail, and after examining it carefully for a while, he found nothing unusual. He then asked Wuya Chan.

"Zen Master, I just seemed to see two streaks of light, one red and one blue. What do they represent?"

"This humble monk will take a look."

Wuya Chan turned around, looked at the fish tail, gently stroked it with both hands, and said, "Strange—"

"What's so strange about that?"

Zhou Xuan asked.

Wuya Chan unfolded the wrinkles on the fish tail a little.

The fish monk's tail is not as flat as a normal fish tail; it is more like a retractable umbrella. When it is retracted, the contents of the tail cannot be seen.

Now that the tail has been stretched open, Zhou Xuan's vision is no longer obstructed, and he sees—within the tail, there are countless Dao patterns.

The patterns were half blue and half red, like tadpoles, moving around. As they moved, the colors would change from dark to light and then from light to dark, just like a person breathing.

However, the frequency of this breathing is too even and smooth, and the rhythm contained within it is wonderful and in harmony with the universe, truly "in accord with the heavens".

"How can there be a third power within the body of the Six Desires Zen practitioner?"

Wuya Chan was somewhat surprised.
Zhou Xuan could also sense that these Dao patterns were genuine "Daoist artifacts".

"The will of the ancient Buddha and the Blood God has actually given rise to such authentic Taoist energy. I wonder how it came about."

While Wuya Chandu was completely bewildered, the White Deer Taoist priest walked over shakily and said, "Zen Master, have you ever heard the story of the Taoist Ancestor gifting two large fish to the Ancient Buddha?"

“I have heard of it, but those two blue and red fish have been refined into Zen riddles by the ancient Buddha. Since they are Zen riddles, they do not have the authentic Taoist spirit.”

Wuya Chan's words left Bailu Fangshi speechless.

Zhou Xuan then said from the side, "Let me observe the qi; perhaps I can get closer to the truth."

After he finished speaking, he put on the mask of the Taoist Ancestor.

The Taoist Ancestor Mask was personally passed down by the Taoist Ancestor and allows one to see many ethereal and mysterious things within the Taoist community.

The mask had just been put on when...

Zhou Xuan then saw that the fish monk's body was covered by a layer of purple gauze.

Purple is considered the most auspicious color in Taoism; as the saying goes, "When the Taoist patriarch traveled west, purple clouds covered ninety thousand miles."
"Such auspicious energy has been bestowed upon the dog."

After cursing, Zhou Xuan continued to observe the fish's tail. Upon closer inspection, he noticed two fleshy growths on the tail.

They are called sarcomas because they are simply fleshy growths attached to the skin.

However, ordinary tumors always give people a sense of "horror," and just one glance can evoke feelings of disgust.

But these two tumors do have a touch of beauty about them.

The skin of the tumor is transparent, and the base of the tumor is a colorful fleshy plate, mixed with aquatic plants, lotus flowers and other scenery, with two fish, one green and one red, swimming in the tumor.

Fish eyes are like gemstones, and the shimmering light on their scales shines even brighter than starlight.

Zhou Xuan suddenly removed his mask and said to Wuya Chan and Bailu Fangshi, "This fish monk has two large fish growing on his tail, one green and one red."

Hearing that a large fish was gestating, Wuya Chan pondered deeply. After a while, he suddenly clapped his hands together and said,

“I understand. Those two fish have submitted to the ancient Buddha, but not to the Fish Monk. Over the years, my junior brother has never truly mastered these two fish.”

"The fish wanted to break free from his body and return to the mortal realm to find its master."

After his explanation, Zhou Xuan's initial question to the White Deer Taoist was easily answered.

"Old Bai, you said the Azure and Red Fish is the ancestor of alchemy among mortals, so why is it that the Fish Monk, who possesses the Azure and Red Fish, is only qualified to refine pills for Li Shanzu?"

The White Deer Alchemist's initial explanation was that alchemy is a physically demanding task that requires constant monitoring of the heat, and since the Fish Monk was a lazy person, he naturally couldn't produce good elixirs.

In retrospect, the real reason why the fish monk couldn't refine good pills was because the blue and red fish were not to his liking.

The White Deer Taoist was quite adept at this, saying to Zhou Xuan, "Master, you are truly blessed. This fish monk is a demonic monk, and the Blue and Red Fish look down on him, so naturally they will not submit. But you are different."

“You are a dragon among men, a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor. These two fish were prepared for you.”

"When Pisces breaks through to the body, the Pill Ancestor will belong to the Great Master. This is not only a cause for celebration for the Great Master, but also a blessing for all the people of the nine prefectures of Jing Kingdom..."

"If you're going to flatter me, a couple of words are enough. You keep going on and on, and it's giving me goosebumps, you know that?"

Zhou Xuan was in a great mood and even joked with the White Deer Taoist priest using the dialect from his previous life.

Wuya Chan smiled knowingly and said, "Mr. Bai's words may be a bit cheesy, but the meaning is correct. Master, no wonder the 'Supreme Secret' worked and forced you to stay; it turns out it was to give you an opportunity."
"When the fish monk dies, these two fish will be yours."

"What a blessing, what a blessing."

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Zen Master, when I was comprehending the true teachings of the valley, the Dao Ancestor hinted that I should travel west..."

West of Mingjiang Prefecture lies Huangyuan Prefecture. Now, Zhou Xuanzhen has indeed made his westward journey and has reaped the rewards.

He reached out and patted the fish monk, saying, "Old fish, I always thought you were immoral and lacked manners. It seems I misunderstood you. You are still very charitable. You kept such a good thing for yourself for a thousand years, waiting for me to come and collect it."

Both Wuya Chan and Bailu Fangshi were amused by Zhou Xuan's sarcastic remarks and burst out laughing.

Only the fish monk was injured.

“That’s mine…that’s my blue and red fish…Zhou Xuan…that’s my blue and red fish.”

"After tomorrow, the surname will be Zhou."

Zhou Xuan smiled broadly...

……

Inside the Maha Temple, the Huangyuan Prefecture's Bureau of Spirits—primarily composed of "bitter ghosts"—slaughtered all the man-eating mountain spirits and wild demons within the pagoda.
Blood mist filled the air everywhere.

If you look up from the foot of the mountain, you would think that a layer of blood-red mist has risen on the mountainside.

As fate would have it, it rained.

The rain started as just a few large raindrops, then it started pouring like water from a ladle, and finally turned into a torrential downpour.

Under the torrential rain, many green leaves were knocked off the trees.

At this time, Zhou Xuan and the others had already gone to Huangyuan Water Village, where they were drinking plum wine in the reception hall.

Lu Xingzhou heard the sound of heavy rain pattering on the green tiles, so he took his wine cup and went to the eaves.
He looked up at the rain and said with delight, "This rain is good. It washes away the sins of Huangyuan Prefecture that have accumulated over thousands of years."

“Mr. Lu, it is true that the fish monk is guilty of Huangyuan Prefecture, but he is not the greatest sinner in Huangyuan Prefecture.”

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look at Zhou Xuan and said, "Master, what do you mean by that?"

Zhou Xuan said, "When that fish monk was completely fooled by me, he told me that the biggest business in refining human pills was the Zoroastrian sect. They had set up alchemy fire pits in all nine prefectures of the Jing Kingdom."
Some hearths are large, and some are small.

"You mean, there are Zoroastrian hearths in our Huangyuan Prefecture as well?"

“Of course there are, and they’re on a very large scale,” Zhou Xuan said.

"..." Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou then asked, "Does the master know where the hearth is located?"

“I don’t know, and neither does the fish monk,” Zhou Xuan said. “Mr. Lu will have to find the fire pit himself.”

"That is, that is."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Master, you have already done a great service for our Huangyuan Prefecture. In the future, we should take advantage of this momentum to rectify the situation in Huangyuan. When I was drinking just now, I heard you talking, Master. It seems that you also have some insights into the administration of the prefecture."

"These are not my own insights, but just some knowledge I've heard about, like learning from others."

Zhou Xuan said this.

Lu Xingzhou, seeing Zhou Xuan's modesty, continued, "If I want to rectify the customs of Huangyuan, the first thing I need to do is abolish the human flesh trade. What do you think, sir?"

What were the human flesh used for?

Zhou Xuan asked.

"Most of them are bought by the sects. There are many people in Huangyuan Prefecture who raise corpses, and then they are made into magical artifacts..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan added, "Then we must start from the source, from those shady establishments. Without buying and selling, where will the transactions come from?"

“But starting from the source involves far too many things and factions,” Lu Xingzhou said with a bitter expression.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, let me give you a piece of advice, which is also a piece of knowledge I heard. Moreover, this cannot be called knowledge; it is true wisdom."

"Please speak, sir."

"To correct a wrong, one must go to extremes; strong medicine is needed to cure old ailments. Without the ambition to smash the old mess, the so-called rectification is just a superficial effort; the corrupt Huangyuan Prefecture will never be cured."

After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, he went to drink with Yun Ziliang. Lu Xingzhou was alone in the rain, pondering the words "to correct a wrong by going too far, and to cure a serious illness with strong medicine." The more he pondered, the more he felt that there was great spirit hidden in these words.

"The Master is truly a divine person, both divine and wonderful."

As he pondered, many of the administrative tasks for Huangyuan Prefecture that he would have to undertake came to mind one by one, a veritable explosion of inspiration.

When Lu Xingzhou's thoughts were like a red-hot iron, he could not contain himself. He put down his wine cup, picked up the wine jar, and said, "Master, just based on your just-mentioned 'wise remedy for governing the world,' I should drink three large cups."

Zhou Xuan looked at the wine jar and laughed out loud: "Mr. Lu, this isn't just 'Floating Three Great Wines,' it's 'Floating Three Great Jars.'"

Everyone laughed...

……

That day, Zhou Xuan slept in the water fortress. Lu Xingzhou admired Zhou Xuan to the point of prostration, and naturally arranged for this young master of Mingjiang Prefecture to have a luxurious diet.

Life in the water village was tough, with high humidity. The disciples, who relied on the water people for their livelihood, often slept on boats when business was good. They were used to hardship and therefore didn't have high expectations for life. There were very few soft beds in the entire water village, not because they were poor, but because they were so used to hardship that they didn't want to enjoy comforts.

In order to ensure that Zhou Xuan could get a good night's sleep, Lu Xingzhou specially had his disciples bring over several spring beds from the city, with silk stuffed inside the quilts.

"Mr. Lu, why bother?" Zhou Xuan was curled up on the floor at the foot of the wall, reading the newspaper with great enjoyment.

For people from their previous lives, even mattresses like Simmons and spring beds weren't so comfortable to sleep on.

The most comfortable place is often a beanbag chair thrown in the corner. You can curl up in it and play on your phone or watch TV shows. It's not only super comfortable, but also makes you feel incredibly safe.

“Sir, you have offered profound advice and sound strategies for our Huangyuan Prefecture. You are our most valued friend, and of course we will do our utmost to help you.”

"You poor wretched man from Huangyuan, you're too kind."

After Zhou Xuan and Lu Xingzhou left, he remained huddled in the corner, reading the newspaper on his makeshift bed, completely unmoved by reason.

……

The next day, Zhou Xuan got up early and went to the street of the water village with Yun Ziliang, Wuya Chan, Li Changxun, Bailu Fangshi, and others, and found a stall to eat mutton soup.

Huangyuan Prefecture loves eating mutton even more than Mingjiang Prefecture, and the breed of mutton they use is of superior quality. Whether braised or stewed, the aroma is so enticing that it can make passersby stumble.

"Four bowls of mutton soup, a mutton stew, a bowl of vegetarian noodles, and three steamers of mutton shumai."

After ordering his food, Zhou Xuan grabbed the owner's sleeve and asked, "Is this real mutton? I won't eat it if it's seasoned with human flesh."

Yesterday at the inn on Yunlu Mountain, Zhou Xuan had developed a phobia of eating mutton, fearing he might get sick from it again, so he asked beforehand to make sure everything was clear.

The shopkeeper laughed heartily and said, "Sir, you're joking. We poor folks can't afford such expensive meat. Some mutton will do."

"You call me Master, do you know me?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"In the entire water stronghold, there is no one who doesn't know you, Master. Last night, Chief Lu distributed your portrait and also declared that anyone in the entire water stronghold who dares to offend you will face dire consequences."
"Family discipline is the least of their worries."

"Old Lu is really meticulous in his work."

Zhou Xuan smiled and placed the money on the table, weighing it down with a bowl of scallions. He returned to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, Wuya Chan said, "Master, there are five of us, and you ordered four bowls of mutton soup and a mutton stew. Should I eat the stew or drink the soup?"

"..." Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan said, "Did you hear me order vegetarian noodles? Those are the vegetarian noodles for you. How can a monk eat meat?"

"Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the ancient Buddha remains in the heart... As the saying goes..."

"Never mind that, I'll go get another bowl of mutton soup."

Zhou Xuanzhen hadn't realized that Wuyai Chan, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, was actually a monk who indulged in wine and meat.

"Boss, another bowl of mutton soup." Zhou Xuan took out his money again, and was about to put it at the bottom of the bowl as before, but the boss saw it.

He hurriedly picked up all the money and tried to stuff it back to Zhou Xuan: "Sir, you mustn't do that. If I take your money, Mr. Lu will skin us alive when he comes back."

"You're exaggerating, boss. Just keep the money you're owed. You're justified in charging for cooking, no matter how far you argue."

After Zhou Xuan continued to place his bets, he saw the owner's son sitting in front of the stall, gazing longingly at the mutton soup on the other diners' tables.

"This family has always had people who sell mutton but can't afford to eat it..."

Meat sellers know that meat is expensive, so their families often can't afford to eat it, and the children crave meat.

Without a second thought, Zhou Xuan ordered another bowl of mutton soup and a basket of shumai, which he then gave to the owner's son.

"Baby, eat."

“I won’t eat it. If I eat the meat the guest gave me, Dad will beat me.”

“You’re a stubborn kid, I’ll give you a heads-up.” Zhou Xuan turned around and said to the shopkeeper, “Boss, your kid is so cute, I bought him a basket of shumai and gave him a bowl of mutton soup. If you don’t let him have it, then you’re not giving me face.”

"Thank you very much, sir. Thank you very much, sir. Silly boy, thank you very much, sir."

"Thank you," the child said sincerely, then buried her head in her food and ate heartily.

Zhou Xuan and his companions ate at the stall while the owner, busy chatting with familiar customers, took the opportunity to eat.

"Look, that's Mr. Da. He's different from the other people who come to our water village. He's very kind and even bought mutton soup for my son."

“Those vulgar big shots can’t compare to our Master. Didn’t you hear the other day? Mingjiang Prefecture was hit by a major disaster, and this Master gave away all his wealth to buy rice and meat for the people of Mingjiang.”

"It's not just rice and meat, but also soda, chocolate, and foreign liquor. Are those for avoiding disaster? That's for enjoying life. We've never had any disasters or illnesses, but we've never had them many times."

"The Master is truly benevolent and righteous."

Everyone sighed in unison.

……

"Can you even have the power of willpower when you're eating a meal?"

As Zhou Xuan ate the fragrant mutton, he felt a few wisps of cool mist seeping into his body.

"We need to hurry up and put the Qi Refining Pill on the agenda. My willpower is getting stronger and stronger."

Zhou Xuan secretly calculated,

The rest of the people at the table were focused on eating.

Yun Ziliang praised, "The lamb from Huangyuan Prefecture is much better than that from Mingjiang. The meat is truly fresh and tender."

"Old Yun, you really have no conscience, saying such things. Have you forgotten how delicious Sister Cui's mutton is?"

Zhou Xuan said.

"Sister Cui's cooking skills are impeccable, but even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. There are no good sheep in Mingjiang Prefecture."

Li Changxun also said, "That old painter rushed back to Mingjiang Prefecture in a hurry, he really missed out on such a good meal."

Speaking of good fortune, Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Old Hua may not have good fortune, but the people of Huangyuan Prefecture are. At this time, the fish monk should be being shared among the common people."

According to the agreement Zhou Xuan and Lu Xingzhou made at yesterday's dinner table, at five o'clock in the morning, the fish monk would be carried to the center of Huangyuan's prefectural city to receive a just trial from the people.

"It's already eight o'clock, shouldn't we have eaten enough by now?"

Zhou Xuan glanced at his pocket watch and said.

He was waiting for the fish monk to die soon so he could take over the two large blue and red fish.

"I'm tempted to go to the city to see what's going on." Yun Ziliang had always loved watching excitement.

"Stop looking, it's all bloody and disgusting, what's so interesting about it?"

Zhou Xuan said in disbelief.

As luck would have it, just as Zhou Xuan had started a conversation with the "Fish Monk," Lu Xingzhou transformed into water and appeared in front of the mutton stall.

"Master Lu."

The vendors on the street gate all bowed to Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand, signaling them to go about their own business, before saying to Zhou Xuan, "Master, things are not looking good."

"What? Did the fish monk run away?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"He can't escape; all the experts in Huangyuan are keeping an eye on him."

"Since the fish monk didn't run away, what's wrong with that?" Zhou Xuan said slowly, sipping his mutton soup.

"The common people dare not share the fish with the monks."

Lu Xingzhou said.

The giant fish that the fish monk was in disguise was placed in the center of Huangyuan Prefecture, but no commoner dared to lay a hand on it.

Zhou Xuan asked, "Did the cerebellum I arranged reveal the sins of the Fish Monk?"

"It has been revealed."

"Aren't the common people angry?" Zhou Xuan asked.

“Anger, great anger, the people are in a frenzy,” Lu Xingzhou said. “But that fish monk still wields considerable influence, and the people fear and dread him… Alas, it seems the fish monk was right; the people dare not do anything to him!”

“He’s got nothing to say. I’ll give you a suggestion. See if the people will skin him alive and eat his flesh.” Zhou Xuan immediately had an idea.

"Please speak, sir."

Lu Xingzhou waited respectfully for Zhou Xuan to continue.

Zhou Xuan slowly finished the last sip of mutton soup, put down the bowl, and said to Lu Xingzhou, "Old Lu, tell all the people of Huangyuan Prefecture that the fish monk's flesh... can enhance male virility!"

"..." Lu Xingzhou.

"puff!"

"puff!"

The people at the table were so amused by Zhou Xuan's words that they spat out their soup.

"Xuanzi, you really are something else, you have so many tricks up your sleeve."

Yun Ziliang laughed so hard he almost fell over.

Zhou Xuan waved his hand and said, "Mr. Lu, just use my trick and spread the word that the flesh of the Fish Monk can enhance male virility, nourish yin, cure diseases, improve brain function, and replenish qi... Just you wait and see."

Don't tell me ordinary people wouldn't dare lay a hand on that wicked monk; I'm afraid that people would fight tooth and nail over the meat.

(End of this chapter)