The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 89 Where is the City God, Qiu Gu and the Old Ghost
"Master Yuan, what's the result? Did you find the child's whereabouts?"

The head of the Tian family sounded anxious.

Old Master Tian was also staring eagerly.

Xuanming didn't pretend to be mysterious, and said directly: "I calculated that he is still in the city and has not left yet."

Without waiting for the Tian father and son to ask, he picked up a copper coin and drew a thunder talisman in the air. Inspiration surged and lightning flashed. This scene left everyone dumbfounded.

At this moment, they completely understood that the Taoist priest in front of them was a master who played with the worldly affairs, and the rat demon in the sleeve of the old half-immortal Zhongneng was trembling with fear.

The copper coin fell back into his palm, and Xuanming said bluntly: "This is Li Daniu's money. He and I have a connection. This copper coin has been infused with magic power by the old Taoist, and only he can activate it. The owner of the family can ask Mr. Li to follow him, and he will definitely bring your son and daughter back safely."

"Quick! Let Li Daniu in!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the head of the Tian family was overjoyed, and immediately ordered the old housekeeper to call Li Daniu. He was more friendly than ever to the long-term worker in the family. After knowing the reason, Li Daniu bowed solemnly to Xuanming, expressing his gratitude, and understood that this was an opportunity given to him by the Taoist priest.

After handing the copper coin to Li Daniu, Xuanming asked the head of the Tian family to take out the twins' personal belongings. He raised his hand and cast a spell, then waved his sleeves lightly, and a rattle and a small wooden sword flew into the air in one direction.

"Please ask Mr. Tian to send someone to follow."

"Okay, okay! Someone come! Someone come quickly!"

The head of the Tian family agreed immediately, summoned the guards, set out first, and ordered the old housekeeper to invite the bailiffs.

When the blind old beggar got the news from other beggars through the back door under the pretext of going to the toilet and returned confidently, he saw the people from the Tian residence hurriedly leaving with sticks and knives.

After entering the hall and knowing the whole story, the blind old beggar's eyelids trembled and he almost couldn't pretend anymore. A huge wave of emotions surged in his heart. He didn't expect that he had been with such a great man for so many days without recognizing him.

It seems that there is no difference between pretending to be blind and being really blind, both are equally blind.

Then he became worried again, thinking that his fortune telling and his trick of pretending to be blind could not be hidden from the experts, and he was afraid that they would be exposed and his livelihood would be cut off.

Xuanming didn't know what the blind old beggar was thinking, nor did he want to care. After doing all this, he sat upright on the chair, sipping tea slowly and waiting for news. Although the head of the Tian family and Old Master Tian were extremely anxious, they were patient and chatted with Xuanming with a very attentive attitude.

Later, seeing that Xuanming was taciturn, he knew that he was not a talkative person, so he stopped talking to him and went to talk to Lao Banxian and others. He was just more respectful to Xuanming and treated him more attentively, for fear of neglecting him.

---

After sipping a cup of tea and waiting for Xuanming to close his eyes to rest, the voices of conversation in the hall were lowered for fear of disturbing his rest.

Spiritual perception enveloped Fuyun County. Xuanming first set up restrictions in the thieves' den where the twins were hidden to prevent the children from being harmed, and then entered the City God Temple.

"Where is the City God? There are evil spirits in the south of the city causing trouble and robbing children. Please send troops to capture them as soon as possible."

There was a sound like a muffled thunder, and the Dharma Realm where the City God Temple was located shook. The dark night was illuminated, the yin energy was boiling like boiling water, the palaces and buildings were shaking, the evil spirits were wailing, the ghost soldiers and officials were in a panic, the judge changed color, and the City God opened his eyes and immediately saluted respectfully.

"Thank you for your reminder, Immortal. I will send troops immediately."

The rolling thunder dissipated, and the Dharma Realm returned to darkness. In the dark temple, the City God wiped a sweat from his nonexistent sweat and immediately dispatched his troops. During this time, the head of the Quick Report Department said, "Master, which immortal sent a message to us just now?"

City God: "Fuyun County is a remote place. Apart from the discussion in the spring, few immortals come here. If my guess is correct, it should be the Xuanming immortal from Fuyun Mountain who has come down the mountain to travel. Only this immortal can spread his voice and his prestige will directly enter the Dharma Realm and transform into thunder."

While answering the questions, all the heads of departments looked tense, and they did not dare to be negligent. The name of this real person was well-known to them, even if they were Yin gods, and they were afraid of neglecting it and causing dissatisfaction.

As for the City God Temple, it is under the jurisdiction of the Pantheon. Immortals and gods are not in the same system, so the City God Temple can ignore the matter of voice transmission. Neither the City God nor the heads of various departments mentioned it.

Since the county magistrate is not as good as the current one, and Fuyun County and Fuyun Mountain are neighbors, we have to give face to the Taoist priest of Qiuzhen Temple, so as not to affect the relationship between the two families and make things difficult in the future. Everything should be done in a give and take manner, and if the City God Temple needs help in the future, we can come to ask for help.

Also, because the City God is the patron saint of the city, he protects the well-being of ordinary people. Now, evil spirits are rampant in the city and killing people, but the City God Temple is unaware of it. If we really want to investigate, it is the City God Temple that has failed in its duties. This time they are making amends, and Zhenren Xuanming has helped the City God Temple to a certain extent.

Also, the strong are respected. This is the rule on the surface, but it is not the case in secret. Some things can be flexible. The combination of immortals and gods has been common in the past five thousand years, and the Pantheon has turned a blind eye to all this.

"Come with me and have a look. What kind of evildoer could have hidden himself from our eyes and ears?"

After gathering the troops, the City God sat on a tall horse and personally left the Dharma Realm, followed by the heads of various departments.

Although traveling during the day would be a hindrance to the Yin spirits, they could not care about that now. The most important thing was to arrest the evildoers, rescue the children, and protect the country and the people.

---

A large number of common people live in the south of the city, which is also a gathering place for all kinds of people, from all walks of life, with good and bad identities. The worldly atmosphere is noisy, like a pool of muddy water.

If there really is a monster mixed in, it can block the perception of the City God's Office to a certain extent. If this monster has some magical powers, it is possible that it can completely hide from the City God's patrolling officials.

When the City God blocked a two-foot-tall red-eyed old woman who was trying to escape at a secluded house in the south of the city, his eyes suddenly opened and he realized that it was no wonder he had been deceived, it turned out that he was an old and "smart" person.

In some remote places or families, it is believed that after an old person reaches the age of ninety, he will devour the blessings of his descendants and thereby prolong his life. Therefore, after an old person passes his ninetieth birthday, his descendants will lock him in a birdcage and feed him only one meal a day until he starves to death, and then give him a grand funeral.

But there are also old people who are barely alive, their bodies are getting smaller and smaller, their eyes are getting redder and redder. When they are over a hundred years old, they turn into old ghosts by chance, dominated by resentment, devour the flesh and blood of their descendants, and then devour other children to prolong their lives and turn their fantasies into reality. Such beings hide in the market, and are easier to hide from the eyes and ears of the city god than other strange monsters. The one in front of him looks more mature. Judging from his breath, he has lived for at least two hundred years.

"You are so bold and evil that you actually harmed the people under my rule. Your crimes are extremely heinous. All officials, listen to my orders and form your formations!"

At the command of the City God, the heads of the Quick Report Department, the Yin-Yang Department, the Gongcao Department and other departments moved together, and each took out their Shinto instruments, such as the judgment pen, the document book, and the magic mirror, and set up a formation to cover the courtyard to prevent the magic power from leaking out and destroying the surrounding houses and hurting the people. Hundreds of children in the cellar fell into a deep sleep.

At the same time, hundreds of ghosts threw soul-catching chains. The red-eyed old woman growled, and her red eyes glowed red, forming a barrier. The soul-catching chains could not move at all and were blocked outside.

He opened his mouth and spewed out a large amount of dark evil air, which turned into thick smoke and emitted a foul odor. The ghosts were enveloped in it, their bodies were corroded, and they let out sharp screams. Some of them began to become weak, and were in danger of losing their souls.

"Evil creature, surrender immediately!"

The City God roared angrily and sacrificed a large seal, connecting all parts of Fuyun County. With the power of the Dharma domain added to his body, his pressure suddenly soared, enough to be on par with a real person in the Zhoutian realm.

The City God's seal fell, shining with golden light and filled with sandalwood. The stench was suppressed, and the black mist burned like paper encountering an open flame. The red light shattered, and the seal fell. The red-eyed old woman let out a shrill scream, and her two-foot-long body melted like lamp oil and soon turned into a pool of black water.

Hundreds of ghost soldiers spoke at the same time, and suddenly pulled the soul-binding chain, trying to lock the old woman's soul, but still could not move forward. The old woman sacrificed a token with the word "Underworld" written on it, emitting a dark light, and a huge black cover was condensing.

The ghost soldiers were horrified, the officials felt a chill all over their bodies, and even the City God had a gloomy expression. Although he didn't know what this thing was, he felt it was very ominous and he must not let this thing take shape!
The City God gritted his teeth, manipulated the seal, and held it on his head to temporarily hold up the black hood. His magic power was quickly consumed. The City God opened his mouth and was about to ask Xuanming for help when Li Daniu arrived with the yamen runners and guards.

No matter how hard they hit, the gate wouldn't open. Even if they jumped over the wall, they couldn't get in. It was as if there was an invisible air shield blocking it. This strange scene made many people feel uneasy.

At the critical moment, Li Daniu had an idea and took out a copper coin from his arms. A small electric arc appeared on the coin and the gate of the courtyard opened automatically. He tried to enter, but there was no obstruction.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the gate slammed shut again. No one except Li Daniu was allowed to enter.

Seeing the mortal who broke into the courtyard, the City God's pupils shrank, and the words he was about to speak were choked back. The next moment, his eyes fell on the copper plate in Li Daniu's hand, and he felt the terrifying power contained in it. He was trembling with fear, but his face was ecstatic, and he couldn't help but urge:

"Hurry up and throw the copper coins at the red-eyed old woman."

As soon as he entered the door, it was as if a whole new world had changed. The scene was completely different from what he saw outside. The day turned into night, and the air was gloomy. The gods and ghosts in the City God Temple seemed to come alive and appeared before his eyes. Li Daniu was already frightened, but when he heard the City God urging him, he immediately looked at the old woman, suppressed his fear, and tried his best, and instinctively threw the copper coin over.

Boom!

In an instant, the copper plate shattered, and a bolt of lightning rushed out and struck the token directly. The token instantly dimmed and fell to the ground. The old woman was like a tiger with its teeth and claws picked out. She was quickly subdued by the underworld officials. Hundreds of soul-catching chains intertwined to form a birdcage, locking up the old woman's soul.

The appearance of the birdcage reminded the old woman of her sad past. She suddenly became crazy, anxious, and panic-stricken. She screamed in fear like a helpless child and seemed very unwilling to stay in the cage.

The City God snorted coldly, waved his hand and pulled out a magic whip, and whipped the old woman hard several times. The latter screamed, and vomited out several children's souls every time she was hit. When the old woman had nothing left to vomit and her soul was badly injured, looking at the hundreds of children's souls in front of her, the City God had a solemn expression, and whipped the old woman hard again. All his sympathy for her disappeared instantly.

"There must be something hateful about a pitiful person! Your previous experience was indeed miserable, but this should not be a reason for you to commit many evil deeds. Follow me back to the Dharma Realm to atone for your sins."

After scolding, the City God looked at the resentful child souls, bowed his hands, and said earnestly: "The children are innocent. I beg Master Xuanming to help them to be reborn as soon as possible."

He had consumed a huge amount of his magical power and was powerless.

Inside the Tian Mansion, Xuanming responded, his lips moved silently, and in the houses in the south city, the sound of chanting became like the sound of Huangzhong and Dalu. The invisible sound waves washed away the resentment of the ghost children like water, restoring their hideous faces to their original image, making them look as delicate as jade, each one more adorable than the other.

As for the souls of the old woman's son and daughter-in-law, neither the City God nor Xuanming paid any attention to them. They believed that such unfilial people were stained with sins and were not worthy of salvation. They had to atone for their sins first.

The chanting stopped, the City God thanked him and temporarily took hundreds of ghost children into the seal. Xuanming spoke:

"The gods work hard for the people, and this is the real merit. I am just trying my best to help them."

After the matter was settled, the City God led his troops away. Although he was envious, he controlled his desire and was sensible enough not to take the underworld token.

When Li Daniu came to his senses, the formation was removed and the yamen runners and guards were finally able to come in. They rushed into the courtyard, found hundreds of abducted children, and arrested Mr. Tian and his aunt.

She had grown new teeth, and had long since turned into Qiu Gu, who ate the flesh and blood of children. However, she was still a mortal, without the slightest supernatural power, and had not yet embarked on the path of Taoism. That was why the City God did not capture her and handed her over to the authorities in the mortal world for punishment.

---

The twins were successfully found and Xuanming left.

Before leaving, he instructed four fortune tellers, including Lao Banxian Zhongneng and the old beggar, to tell them that there was someone else involved behind the matter, involving a gang of beggars. Although the red-eyed old woman was the mastermind, the accomplices had not yet been completely arrested, and there were still several hideouts. He ordered them to cooperate with the government to bring the evildoers to justice.

The four fortune tellers did not dare to neglect Xuanming's words. They knew that it was an opportunity for them to perform and become famous, so they agreed immediately.

He gave the two hundred taels given by Mr. Tian to Li Daniu, and ordered him to use one hundred taels to benefit the people and the other hundred taels to settle down and buy property. Xuanming then returned to the mountain.

Zangdao Peak, Daoyuan.

Staring at the token in his hand, Xuanming couldn't figure out what it was for the time being, so he separated a bit of his spiritual sense and tried to sink into it.

(End of this chapter)