Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 573 Even kings and generals who wish to obtain the Longevity Pill must abide by the rules of my Xuanwei Temple.
Outside the Xuanwei Temple.

Thousands of people swarmed like ants before the bluestone steps.

The white-haired old woman pressed her forehead against the cold brick seam, her withered hands clutching her grandson's blood-stained bib.

Silk merchants held sandalwood boxes, and the South China Sea Pearl shimmered with iridescent light in the morning sun.

The one-armed woodcutter crawled on his knees for three steps and then kowtowed once, leaving dark red bloodstains on the blue bricks.

A clear, melodious cry of a crane echoed from within the mountain gate, and a beam of azure light, about ten feet high, rose from the top of the Nine-Layered Pill Pavilion.

As the people gazed at the faint, illusory image of the alchemy furnace appearing and disappearing in the sea of ​​clouds, they kowtowed in fear, raising clouds of dust.

Suddenly, the vermilion gate of the Taoist temple burst open, and twelve Taoist priests in embroidered gold robes emerged on a gust of wind. The leader, a Taoist priest with a long beard, flicked a purple-gold alchemy furnace from his sleeve. The moment the furnace lid was lifted, the fragrance of medicine from miles away actually suppressed the heavy stench of blood.

The sandalwood incense floating before the bluestone steps was torn apart by the gale. Four Taoist priests in gold-embroidered robes leaned against the vermilion mountain gate, the purple-gold pills in their palms swirling with mist in the sunlight.

The long-bearded Taoist leader flicked a useless pill away with his finger, and the scorch mark the size of a copper coin burned a three-inch deep pit into the blue brick.

"Amitabha!" The long-bearded Taoist flicked his whisk, sweeping it over the kneeling people lining the mountain path, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You mortals, with your mortal bones and bodies, dare to beg for the longevity pills of the Jade Emperor?"

Behind him, the short, stout Taoist priest crushed the century-old Solomon's Seal that the herbalist was holding with his foot, the sticky juice soaking through his coarse cloth clothes: "I said yesterday that if you want to take the pills, you must offer a pair of young boys and girls. How dare you come empty-handed today?"

The old farmer opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but was pushed aside by the others.

Everyone was holding gold, silver, or precious medicinal herbs in their hands, and they all asked in low voices to be given the pills.

"Amitabha Buddha—" The long-bearded Taoist swept his whisk across the sea of ​​heads, his voice like a cold spring striking stone, "Today, the elixir undergoes its ninth cycle, requiring three pairs of young boys and girls as the medicinal ingredients."

The short, stout Taoist priest behind him loudly interjected, "Whoever offers up a boy and a girl first, the elixir belongs to them."

"Serving a celestial master is an opportunity that doesn't come every day."

Upon hearing the Taoist's words, everyone looked up and exchanged glances.

The Qin Dynasty prohibited the buying and selling of people, so young boys and girls were not easily obtained.

They either have to sacrifice their own children, or they have to resort to underhanded methods.

“It is not easy for the immortal master to emerge from seclusion. If you do not have this sincerity—” The long-bearded Taoist stopped speaking and looked ahead.

Over there, a carriage made of nanmu wood was being pulled by four fine horses, and escorted by a group of servants, heading towards the Taoist temple.

The long-bearded Taoist and the people around him smiled.

"Master Zheng has really benefited from the elixir. Look, even the wealthy and powerful Master Zheng is asking for it. How many of you can compare to him in terms of wealth?"

The Taoist's words caused the expressions of the people seeking elixirs to change, and many turned to look at those who were seeking elixirs with children in tow.

Before the wooden carriage even got close, the sound of thunderous hooves came from the end of the mountain road, and three hundred black-clad riders shattered the mountain mist.

Chen Wu used his Mo Dao to knock away the nanmu carriage blocking his way, and the seven-treasure tassels were blasted into dust in the strong wind.

"Insolence!" The wealthy merchant in brocade robes climbed out of the overturned carriage, his face flushed red. "Xuanwei Temple is the Taoist temple of the Jade Emperor. Even the Prefect himself must dismount and walk here!"

He tried to shout again, but the servant beside him quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"My lord, those are the Black Knights!"

The wealthy businessman, growing impatient, rolled up his sleeves: "I don't care what kind of rider they are! If they dare to overturn my car, I'll blackmail them, blackmail them, blackmail them—"

Before he could finish speaking, his face turned deathly pale, and he shrank back, his steps trembling.

Chen Wu ignored him completely, his warhorse galloping forward, the black cavalry formation like a sharp blade cutting through waves, tearing a path through the kneeling crowd.

The one-armed woodcutter let out a low growl, stepped forward, and grabbed the reins of a black-clad rider. His cloudy old eyes stared at the still-wet scabs on the warhorse's hooves: "Sir, your aura of killing intent is too strong; it will offend the immortal master."

Before he could finish speaking, Cao Xuan's heavy shield overturned the stone, and the blue bricks trodden by the Xuanjia Guards left cracks, resembling a winding river of blood. This scene caused panic to appear on the faces of those seeking pills, and they hurriedly retreated.

The pursuit of elixirs is for the sake of life, not for the sake of death.

"Ha, what a display of official arrogance." In front of the Taoist temple, the white-bearded Taoist behind the long-bearded Taoist had a sneer on his face.

The top of the Nine-Layered Pill Pavilion held in the hands of the long-bearded Taoist priest rose with a ten-zhang-long azure light, and the illusory image of the alchemy furnace flickered with dazzling light.

"Even kings and generals who wish to obtain the elixir of longevity must abide by the rules of my Xuanwei Temple."

They looked at the black-armored warhorses that had stopped in front of the Taoist temple's stone steps, and instead of being afraid, they showed a hint of arrogance.

"Hmph, so what if they are in charge of troops and generals?" The old man in the long robe, who was huddled by the stone steps, lowered his head and showed hope in his eyes. "Before the immortal master, they are all ants. To ask for pills, it depends on who is more devout."

His gaze fell on the woman who had come with the young boy behind him, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

"This is the elixir of immortality! Even high-ranking officials come to beg for it." Among the crowd was an elderly woman with white hair, her face filled with reverence, her legs weak, as if she wanted to kneel down in front of the Taoist temple, as if the Taoist masters in the temple could sense her kneeling.

The warhorses came to a solemn halt, and a bloodthirsty aura rose up.

In front of the Taoist temple, the short, stout Taoist priest's gaze fell on the wooden carriage, his face arrogant: "If this gentleman is truly devout, he might as well get off the carriage and kowtow to request the elixir himself."

"Zheng——"

The cold, sharp blade hummed, its cold light flashing as it fell from the clouds.

Luo Hongxiu pierced through the cloud of miasma with a crimson-gold feather in her sleeve. Her red skirt billowed like a blood lotus in bloom, and the moment the silver-scaled blade was drawn from her sleeve, a flash of cold light disappeared.

The common people only saw a faint blue afterimage in the corner of their eyes, and when they looked up again, the short, fat Taoist priest's neck had already blossomed with an ice lotus.

Seal the throat with one sword!
"Demon, demoness!" The long-bearded Taoist retreated three steps, and before the Nine-Turn Golden Pill he had thrown from his sleeve could explode, Luo Hongxiu's snake-shaped tattoo suddenly emitted a ghostly light.

Her toes touched the shoulders of the kneeling people, and her red dress trailed off as she took seven steps in the air, each step shattering three feet of flowing clouds.

The moment the Star-Shattering Dagger flashed with its cold light, the ten-zhang-tall Immortal Venerable phantom rising from the Daoist crown was twisted and disintegrated by the baleful aura.

"laugh--"

The sound of the silver-scaled blade tearing through the air was even three points faster than the sound of a sword.

The people saw the long-bearded Taoist priest's hat explode, and the bloodstains spurting from his white hair shone red in the sunlight.

Just as the remaining Taoists were about to form an array, Luo Hongxiu, dressed in a red skirt, swirled to the eaves of the Dan Pavilion. A cold light flashed from her sleeves like a falling meteor. As the nine heads rolled down, the blood droplets that splashed up painted half of a scene of a Shura Night Banquet on the blue bricks.

"Boom!"

The muffled thud of the headless corpse hitting the incense burner startled the copper bell. Chen Wu pressed down on his trembling broadsword and was horrified to find that his true energy had been sluggish due to the aftershock.

Cold sweat seeped from the black armor on Cao Xuan's back. He finally understood why the Marquis of Qingyang, who used to like charging ahead, always sat upright in his carriage.

Luo Hongxiu's ruthless killing spree, like mowing grass, was nothing more than the most ordinary knife in the Marquis's hand.

Marquis of Qingyang.

The brothers who followed him all the way from the Northwest, charging into battle with swords in hand, are now the Marquis of Qingyang, who holds the most powerful position in the world.

Marquis Qingyang has no shortage of powerful people around him, and his willingness to rely on people like himself is simply out of old friendship.

"Kill! Kill! Murder is happening..."

The mountain peaks roared, and a trembling cry of alarm rang out.

(End of this chapter)