Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 242: Great Power Indicates Abundant Killing Energy
While Master Mingyu was displaying his divine power in front of others, several newly joined senior Taoists were still diligently cultivating themselves.

Master Jinghong and Master Jingfa teamed up to travel through the streets and alleys, exorcising demons and monsters.

Baishi Prefecture, Hongliu County.

The sun shines brightly, white clouds drift lazily by, and the breeze at the turn of spring and summer already carries a hint of warmth. The trees along the road are lush and green, their drooping branches swaying in the wind, exuding a lazy yet vibrant atmosphere.

With its blue tiles and white walls, dirt roads and stone bridges, bustling with activity and a cacophony of voices, the two old Taoist priests walking through the county town felt as if they had traveled back to ancient Tianxia.

"If it weren't for the existence of gods, spirits, demons, and monsters in this world, just looking at the scene in this county town, I would have thought we had traveled to an ancient society in a parallel world," Master Jingfa remarked.

“Who wouldn’t want to leave?” Master Jinghong sighed, looking around and trying to speak in Mandarin. “And it was a rather prosperous ancient society.”

As the two walked down the street, they saw a house in a nearby alley with red lanterns hanging and colorful decorations, seemingly a joyous occasion. However, they could hear bursts of weeping coming from inside the house.

Meanwhile, passersby avoided that household, and the neighboring houses kept their doors and windows closed even in broad daylight, creating a deathly silence in the courtyard, which only highlighted the desolation of that particular household.

"What's going on?" Master Jingfa asked, puzzled. "Even if you're reluctant to let your daughter go, there's no need to be this sad, is there?"

Master Jinghong joked, "If you're so reluctant to part with him, why not just find a son-in-law to live with you?"

"You two shouldn't talk nonsense. Master Chen is not reluctant to part with his daughter." An old woman passing by overheard their conversation and hurriedly whispered a reminder, "His daughter has been taken a liking to Master Fang from the town to the west."

"Master Fang?" Master Jinghong asked, "Does Master Fang's family have great influence?"

The woman hesitated, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering, "That Master Fang is a powerful man with magical abilities. He can control ghosts and spirits. Who would dare offend him?"

Master Jingfa frowned. "He's using his magical powers to commit evil deeds?"

"Hey, keep your voice down! If Master Fang finds out, you'll all be in deep trouble!"

The old woman quickly lowered her voice and reminded Master Jingfa, "Master Fang is still vigorous in his old age. He takes three or four concubines every year, but these concubines are all in poor health and die of illness within a year or six months of taking them in."

At this point, the old woman looked at the Chen family with a mixture of pity and schadenfreude. "The Chen family dotes on their daughter. She is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as needlework and embroidery. She has made a great name for herself and says that she will only take in sons-in-law who live with the family and that her daughter will never marry out."

"Now look what's happened. His great reputation has caught the eye of Master Fang. He even claimed to be friends with Master Fang, but the latter shows no mercy. I think his precious daughter will only end up dying of illness."

Because of Master Fang's great reputation, those in the know dared not discuss it. The old lady had been holding it in for a long time, and now that her desire to confide had been satisfied, her fear took over again. After she finished speaking, she left as fast as she could.

However, just as she was walking and looking back, she noticed that the two old men who seemed to have been passing by had not been scared away, but instead were walking towards the courtyard of the Chen family.

"These two old geezers love to join in the fun even more than I do?"

……

When Daoist Jinghong and Daoist Jingfa arrived at the gate of the Chen residence, they saw that in addition to two large red lanterns, there was a large "囍" (double happiness) character on the plaque, and a basket of wedding candies was placed next to the gate for anyone to take.

However, all pedestrians bypassed this area, and even if some ignorant children wanted to take the candy, they were stopped and taken back by their parents.

"What a powerful presence." Master Jingfa snorted. Master Jinghong laughed, "Great power is good. It means they've done a lot of bad things. We're doing this for the people, and we'll reap the benefits too."

The two chatted as they walked into the Chen residence.

Then they saw an elderly couple sobbing softly in the lobby, with two teenagers beside them looking sad, while a young woman in a wedding dress was comforting them.

"Father, Mother, don't worry, maybe that Master Fang likes me?"

"Second brother, little brother, our parents are not in good health. You must take good care of them in the future."

Several servants nearby were also secretly wiping away tears. Then someone turned around and saw the two old Taoist priests, and couldn't help but scream in fright, drawing everyone's attention to the two old Taoist priests.

"Isn't Master Fang's wedding supposed to start in the evening? Why are they here so early today?" The people in the Chen family whispered among themselves, assuming that Daoist Jing Hong and his companion were Master Fang's men.

Since the news spread that Master Fang was going to marry his daughter, no one had come to the Chen residence for the past seven days.

Chen Huitai understood them, after all, he had always valued his daughter highly, while the families who had tried to refuse Master Fang in the past had all been wiped out.

The neighbors and friends were worried that his impulsive actions would cause them to be caught in the crossfire.

only……

Looking at the two boys beside him, one twelve or thirteen years old and the other just seven, Chen Huitai sighed, composed himself, and bowed to the two old Taoists, saying, "We are not ready yet, please wait a moment while I prepare the dowry."

Master Jinghong chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Master Chen has misunderstood. We are not that Master Fang's people."

Master Jingfa said in a deep voice, "We heard that Master Fang uses ghosts to commit crimes, so we've come to deal with him."

"What!?" The surrounding crowd was taken aback. Instead of showing joy, they were all terrified.

Chen Huitai was also startled, "Are you monks?"

Madam Chen then grabbed her two sons and pulled her daughter back step by step, saying, "We don't want to deal with Master Fang. You've misunderstood. If you want to deal with Master Fang, go deal with him yourselves. Don't come to our house!"

"Hmm?" Master Jingfa was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on and looked at Master Jinghong. "They're afraid of being implicated. It seems that Master Fang has a criminal record."

Master Jinghong nodded, glanced at the young girl, and then smiled at Chen Huitai, saying, "Your family is celebrating a joyous occasion. We've come to ask for a cup of celebratory wine and a celebratory feast. Would that be alright?"

The two old Taoist priests had just exposed their target, so Chen Huitai dared not let them linger. However, he also dared not offend them, so he simply ordered his servants to deliver two large silver ingots.

"Thank you both for your hospitality, but we have not prepared any food at home. Please accept this small token of our appreciation and head to a restaurant in the city." Chen Huitai bowed and saw the guests off.

Master Jingfa stretched out his hand, crushed the two large silver ingots into two silver cakes, and put them back into Chen Huitai's hand.

Master Jinghong laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Master Chen. We are old and value our lives. We just want to have a drink at the wedding and see the power of that Master Fang.”

(End of this chapter)