Day and night tour

Chapter 436 Dividing the Demonic Monk
"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I'll try this trick and see if it works."

Having found a solution, Lu Xingzhou didn't linger. He transformed into a pool of turbid river water once more and swept towards the sky.

Yun Ziliang then devoured the mutton soup and shumai on the table in a few bites, leaving nothing behind.

"Who's going to take it from you? Why are you eating so fast?" Zhou Xuan asked.

Yun Ziliang then said, "I'm going to the prefectural city to see what's going on. Anyway, that fish monk hasn't been executed yet, so I might as well go and see something interesting."

"Grandmaster, are you going to watch the fun? I don't even want to call you out on it, but you definitely want to get some fish and meat to boost your virility."

As soon as Li Changxun finished speaking, he turned around and received a sharp rap on the head from Yun Ziliang.

Zhou Xuan realized that the disciples of the Dragon Seeking lineage, whether they were celestial beings or ordinary disciples in the mortal world, usually had two characteristics.

First, he has a sharp tongue.
Second, it can take a beating.
In other words, Zhao Wuyai's consciousness was suppressed, and it was Wuyai Chan's consciousness that occupied his body. Otherwise, Li Changxun would not have been the only one who was beaten just now.

"Let's go. Since we're going to watch the show, let's go together."

Zhou Xuan shook his long robe, said goodbye to the mutton vendor, and then led a group of people to the prefectural city.

For Zhou Xuan, watching the fish monk's antics was secondary; observing the local customs and traditions along the way was the real priority.

"Sir, you tell me, a gust of wind could sweep us over there quickly, why bother with all that travel?"

The water village is quite a distance from the city. To get into the city, you need to travel by water first, and then transfer to a rickshaw at "Mingmiao Wharf". This process takes quite a while.

“Li Shanzu, you should take a good look at this water fortress in Huangyuan Prefecture. It has a unique charm.”

Zhou Xuan leaned against the ship's side, looking around.

Jingchuan Prefecture and Huangyuan Prefecture are both water towns, but not all water towns are the same.

The water of Jingchuan is gentle and graceful, like a delicate and charming young lady.

The water in Huangyuan was much more expansive, with yellow sand mixed in with the mist that stung the face, like a rugged, powerful man.

Zhou Xuan recorded all these beautiful scenes, and Li Changxun said from the side, "Master, you have such refined taste. It's one thing to look at the scenery, but to look at it so seriously?"

"My older sister grew up in the Zhou family troupe. Later, she went to Mingjiang Prefecture to learn martial arts and became the Mingjiang Parade God."

With great difficulty, she returned to the Zhou family troupe's homeland and became the troupe leader again, managing all affairs single-handedly while also tending to the ancestral tree; she was never idle.

Zhou Xuan said, "My sister is incredibly capable, but she has never seen the customs and culture of these nine prefectures. I have seen them all. Next time I meet her, I will tell her about them. It will be quite an interesting story."

Hearing this, everyone felt a pang of sadness, realizing that the rugged wind had somehow become a beautiful sight.
Li Changxun, however, was furious and said, "Damn it, why are you telling me all this? You have family, but I don't. You're just showing off to me for no reason."

"I only told you because you asked me."

"Don't say that next time. Please be considerate of my feelings as a lonely person."

After finishing his anger, Li Changxun looked up at the sky and said, "My divine kingdom, I haven't been back for a long time. I wonder how it is now?"

"Why don't you go back and take a look?"

Knowing the pain of homesickness, Zhou Xuan casually took out the "Mountain Ancestor" divine essence that had been confiscated from the secret realm and handed it to him.

Li Changxun relinquished his divine status but showed no intention of ascending to heaven, saying, "I can't go back, and it's all because of you."

"Why?" Zhou Xuan chuckled—how come everything is related to him?

"Think about it, so many gods in heaven want to kill you. We're so close. If I ascend to heaven, do you think they'll have a good time with me?"

When Li Changxun said this, everyone felt that there was some truth to it.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's enjoy the scenery. We're all just drifting clouds and lonely shadows. Today we have a rare moment of leisure, so let's have a drink."

Zhou Xuan bought wine, peanuts, and other necessities from the boatman, and enjoyed drinking and playing drinking games with everyone. They had a wonderful time.

Li Changxun thought to himself, "Actually, I don't plan to go back to heaven. Heaven is too cold and indifferent. The mortal world is much more beautiful."

He himself admitted that his time in Mingjiang Prefecture made him feel as if he had returned to the time at Xunlong Mountain 15 years ago.

Back then, he was young and full of vigor, with strict teachers above him and a group of mischievous friends and fellow disciples below him. At that time, just like now—the sky, what kind of good place could it be? It had no human touch whatsoever. Master Li was not going back!

……

Huangyuan Prefecture City, Huixing Street
The robust Ah Niu was seeking a doctor at the "Yun De Medical Clinic".

"Doctor Hu, you must save my mother. She has taken your medicine but is not getting better. She vomits blood every day and is about to die."

Ah Niu was a hunter who hadn't read many books, but he understood one principle—when you ask someone for help, you have to act like you're asking for help.

He dared not come empty-handed when he came to see Doctor Hu; he carried a white fox fur on his shoulder.

The hide was carefully peeled, and then tanned with straw ash water and dried in the shade. Now, the hide is soft, the fur is strong and elastic, making it a rare and excellent product.

"We mountain folk are ignorant, this is just a little something I prepared for you. It's getting cold, you should wear a fur coat to keep warm."

Ah Niu carefully placed the fox pelt on the table, as if this fox pelt were the weight of her mother's life.

Doctor Hu gently stroked the fur, his eyes filled with undisguised delight, but he was a man of principle—

—Actually, Ah Niu's mother didn't have such a serious illness; she just suffered from occasional stomach aches.

The wild vegetables that people eat in the mountains often contain some toxins, and the daily consumption of wild game is also very oily, which can upset their stomachs. If they were to move to the city and recuperate for a year or two, they would recover on their own.
Now, Ah Niu's mother's condition worsened because she took the fake medicine prescribed by this doctor.

"Ah Niu, don't blame me. If I hadn't been ruthless to your mother, how could you have sent me almost half a cartload of mountain goods over the past six months?"

"Without those mountain products, who will support my wife? And where will my brothel girl, Yihua, get the money to buy rouge?"

"If you have to blame someone, blame Huangyuan Prefecture. The people here don't have any conscience when it comes to doing business."

Doctor Hu was secretly pleased, but his face still wore a warm, benevolent smile, as he pushed the white fox pelt back to A Niu and said,

"Niu Zi, your mother is very fortunate to have given birth to you. However, her illness is her fate, and my medicine cannot cure it. Take this fox pelt and find a better doctor to examine her."
Although it's true that it's hard to find a doctor in this world more skilled than me, I'll try my luck; there's always a way out.

After Hu Langzhong finished speaking, he pushed A Niu towards the door.

"Doctor Hu, Doctor Hu..."

"Let's go. Human strength has its limits, and there's nothing we can do to help."

With Hu Langzhong constantly making excuses, A Niu had no choice but to return to his oxcart.

The oxcart had only a simple shed, and A-Niu's mother was curled up inside, gently groaning. When she saw her son, she stopped crying out in pain and forced herself to endure it, asking, "Niu-zi, what did Doctor Hu say?"

He said there was another doctor in the manor who was quite skilled, and told me to go and find him.

"If you ask me, stop looking and go back. Mother's illness can't be cured, it's just a waste of money."

"As for the money, it's easy to talk about... Recently, a group of people went to the mountains and asked me to lead the way to the 'Cave of Life and Death.' They offered a very high price. I remember going to that cave when I was a child. I think I can still find it now."

“Those people can’t be trusted… Look at their fierce faces, they’ve all killed people.”

"I know, I know."

Ah Niu drove his oxcart to find the "non-existent powerful doctor," walking from Huixing Street to Caishikou.

Caishikou is a very long street. He had barely reached the entrance when he saw the road was completely blocked. He waited for a long time, but the road didn't clear.
He couldn't take it anymore, so he got out of the car and asked a passerby, "Brother, what's going on? Why are we stuck in traffic for so long?"

"You don't know? Our Huangyuan Prefecture's Great Buddha—Fish Bodhisattva—was originally someone who used people to make elixirs. Now the people in the prefectural government are putting him on trial."

"Huh? Using people to make pills?"

"That's right. I heard that the Buddhist temple—the Maha Temple—is filled with human bones that weren't completely burned."

The onlookers even advised Ah Niu, "Are you in a hurry to get on your way? I suggest you take another route. Who knows how long this public trial will last?"

"Oh, thank you so much."

Upon hearing this, Ah Niu got back on the cart and urged the oxen to turn around.

"Niu Zi, what's wrong?"

"There was a large Buddha statue, which turned out to be a demon who used people to make elixirs, and it was being publicly tried."

"who is it?"

"It seems to be called Fish Bodhisattva..."

"Oh dear, he must have been framed. This Buddha has a very prestigious name."

"Who can say for sure?" Ah Niu muttered to himself before continuing to drive the oxcart.

Just then, the officials from the government office, carrying large iron megaphones, loudly proclaimed, "That evil monk, Yu Heshang, has wreaked havoc on Huangyuan Prefecture, causing immense harm. For such a scourge, we should eat his flesh and drink his blood."

"This evil monk has been refining pills for a long time, and his body has been nourished by the pills. His whole body is full of essence. If you eat his flesh and drink his blood, the benefits will be endless."

"Men can take it to enhance their virility, women can take it to nourish their yin, the sick can take it to cure their illnesses, and the elderly can take it to prolong their lives. It has tremendous benefits, so don't miss it."

This series of promotions, like "everything is 30% off, a clearance sale at a loss," was so cheap that it wasn't very credible. Even after several hours of promotion, no one dared to lay a hand on the fish monk.

All the onlookers remained watching, and no one actually went up to make a move.

Ah Niu, who was driving the oxcart, stopped pulling the reins and fell silent.

“Niu Zi, why aren’t you leaving? You’re not thinking of making a move on that Buddha, are you? That’s a grave offense. If you eat the Buddha’s flesh, you’ll only be able to be reborn as an animal in your next life.”

"Mother, I'm going there."

After getting off the cart, Niu Zi picked up a brick and wedged the wheels to prevent the cart from rolling backward, then squeezed into the crowd.

"Niu Zi... Niu Zi..."

The mother wanted to persuade Niu Zi, but she was too weak to walk and had no other options.

Ah Niu was a hunter who hunted year-round, so his physique was naturally excellent. With his well-trained body, he quickly slipped into the very center of the crowd.

He saw a large fish, three or four stories high, tied with thick ropes and suspended in the air.

The enormous creature suddenly appeared before his eyes, and Ah Niu couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

At this moment, although the fish monk's body was bound, his aura was still intimidating. He glared at everyone, intimidating them so much that no one dared to take a step forward.

"Hehe, Huangyuan Prefecture is still my Huangyuan Prefecture. No one dares to lay a hand on me."

"Zhou Xuan, you've miscalculated. No matter how much you promote my meat as a treasure, no one will dare to touch me."

"The people's hearts are still on my side."

The more he thought about it, the more smug he became, shaking his head. Then, from the crowd, Ah Niu stepped forward.
His mind was filled with his mother's illness; he didn't care about anything else, not even the Buddha.

“Even if you really are a great Buddha, your flesh can cure my mother’s illness. This is the virtue of an ancient Buddha cutting off his own flesh to feed an eagle.”

The more Ah Niu thought about it, the faster he felt, and in less than ten steps, he rushed up the high ladder erected by the government office.

"The most intelligent part of a fish is its eyes, and if I were to take meat from a fish, I would take the meat from its eyes."

He rushed all the way to the top step of the ladder, reaching eye level with the fish monk.
"Where did this beast come from?"

Just as the fish monk was about to start cursing, he saw the young man leap up, pull out the dagger he used to skin wild game from his waist, and stab it into the big fish eyes.

"Pfft."

The knife pierced the eye. Ah Niu grabbed the edge of the fish monk's wound with one hand, while with the other hand he grabbed the pieces of flesh from the fish's eye, which were as big as a fist.

"You dare touch your Buddha?! You dare touch your Buddha?!"

The fish monk roared in pain, but Ah Niu paid no heed to his threats. He had only one thought: a fist-sized piece of flesh probably wouldn't be enough to heal his mother's injuries.

So, Ah Niu reached out again and grabbed several more handfuls until the minced meat filled his satchel and the golden blood stained his clothes. Only then did he stop and land safely with the help of the government officials.

As soon as Ah Niu's feet touched the ground, he held the fish and ran towards his mother.

The onlookers were dumbfounded and began to jeer.

"It's all over, this young man is doomed. He listened to the greedy words of the government and dug up the flesh of the Buddha."

"In his next life, he will probably be a pig or a dog."

"You're overthinking it. Someone who committed such a heinous crime will be boiled in oil after death and fried and tormented by those ghost messengers many times. He won't be able to be reincarnated; he won't even be qualified to be an animal."

"Are they all stupid to stand there for hours without making a move? Can we trust what the government says? This kid doesn't know his own limitations."

Despite their criticisms, their curiosity remained strong, and their eyes followed Ah Niu's every move.

Before long, they saw Ah Niu carrying meat into the oxcart.
The carriage shed was rudimentary and open on all sides, offering no privacy whatsoever. Just as the frail mother was about to refuse the flesh and scold her son for daring to offend the Buddha, she smelled a strange fragrance.
The unique aroma emanates from the fish, several times more fragrant than the osmanthus blossoms in August.
For a moment, the mother obediently waited for her son to feed her meat.

“What a delicious meat.”

"That's what my mother said."

That lump of flesh—it wasn't flesh at all! It was just a lump of oil. The moment her tongue touched it, it slid down her throat and into her stomach.
Strangely enough, wherever the meat slid, the mother felt warmth, followed by a complete relaxation throughout her body.

Her stomach pain is gone.
Her joints, which had lost their elasticity, became flexible again, as if coated with a layer of lubricant.

And her pale face gained an extra seven or eight parts color.

"Niu Zi, I feel... I feel... I'm all better..."

"If you're all better, eat some more."

Niu Zi was overjoyed and took out all the scraps of meat from his bag, handing them to his mother to eat.

"efficient?"

"Can it really cure diseases?"

"It's exactly the same propaganda as what the people in the prefectural city are saying."

After all, it is the flesh and blood of the Twenty-First Zen Master, so how could it not have a "nourishing" effect?

Ah Niu's mother became the best advertisement for the fish monk. All the common people turned their heads at the same time, staring intently at the evil monk.

The thousands of gazes and eyes reminded the fish monk of the same fierce look that the wolf spirit used to have when it ate blood.

“These are thousands of eyes that want to eat me.”

The fish monk finally felt fear; he couldn't help but shudder, his body swaying violently.
Then, all he saw was the people, waving knives and hoes, rushing towards him.

"I am the Huangyuan Buddha!"

"puff!"

An old man swung a hoe and pierced the fish monk's abdomen, then, like panning for gold, painstakingly plucked out the flesh.

"Great Buddha, please have mercy! My granddaughter has an eye disease and can't see clearly. Whether her eyes can be cured depends entirely on your good fortune."

"I am the Huangyuan Buddha..."

The fish monk's voice grew weaker and weaker, while Zhou Xuan and the others stood at a distance, calmly watching everything that had just happened.

“Sir, you are right. The issue now is not whether the common people eat fish and monk meat, but that there is not enough fish and monk meat to go around.”

Lu Xingzhou clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan paid no attention to Lu Xingzhou's flattery. He tilted his head, looked at the fish monk, and said, "Strange, why can't I see the twin tumors on my blue and red fish?"

At this moment, he was still wearing the Taoist ancestor mask, but the purple aura and red and blue fleshy growths of the fish monk had completely disappeared.

"Could it have been absorbed when the people were dividing up the spoils?"

The White Deer Taoist said.

"No, no."

Wuya Chan waved towards the distance, and several leaves flew into his hand.
He handed the leaves to everyone and said, "Take the leaves and cover your eyes, and you will be able to see clearly."

"Zen Master, are you trying to blind us to the truth?"

Zhou Xuan asked.

"The Buddhist school has a supreme and wonderful method called the 'closed-eye Zen.' It is said to close the eyes, but it is actually closing the eyes of the mind. You have not practiced this kind of Zen, so you do not know how to close your eyes. You can only use these leaves as a substitute."

After listening to Zen Master Wuya's words, Zhou Xuan covered his eyes with the leaf.
With that simple act of covering his eyes, the solid leaves not only didn't obstruct his view, but on the contrary, they allowed Zhou Xuan to see a strange world—

He saw that the body of the large fish was flowing with "blood" and "gold".
Blood and gold flowed together, cascading down like a waterfall. When they hit the ground, they quickly intertwined, forming a strange script.

Zhou Xuan couldn't understand the content of the text, but the powerful spirit of the writing gave him much insight.

Gudong!

Gudong!

The sound of water, along with the changing words, rang in Zhou Xuan's ears, and gradually, the sound of water spread into his secret realm...

(End of this chapter)