The Terror of the Heavens Begins with Gu

Chapter 108 You raise so many ghosts and you call yourself righteous? (Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)

Xuan Gui Daoist arrived in Dongming City, where he had arranged to meet the other party, that very morning.

After resting in a hotel for a few hours and cleaning himself up, he arrived at the teahouse where he had arranged to meet the other party at 3:30 pm, carrying his belongings.

The weather was terrible today, with overcast skies, rain, and a light wind, making it a bit chilly and depressing for Daoist Xuan Gui.

After nervously tidying up his books outside the teahouse, Daoist Xuan Gui entered.

Guided by the waiter, he arrived at a row of private rooms on the second floor.

A sinister "hee-hee" sound suddenly reached Xuan Gui Dao Ren's ears.

He was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see a ghostly figure flash by in the corner of the wall.

He wiped his sweat and looked at the waiter in front of him, only to find that the waiter was completely unaware.

He was probably the only one who saw the voice and the ghostly figure just now.

What kind of evil spirit is this that dares to come out and scare people in broad daylight?
Xuan Gui Daoist swallowed.

He was never known for his cultivation level; in Changshan, he always appeared as a manager in charge of mundane affairs.

On Changshan Mountain, whether in the outer or inner mountains, his opinion is generally sought for any matters involving management.

Xuan Gui Dao Ren is best at handling all kinds of complex matters.

Mingzhen Daoist instructed the young Daoist to find Xuan Gui Daoist immediately, not only because Xuan Gui Daoist was the only one on Changshan capable of managing the situation, but also because Xuan Gui was skilled at handling such matters.

At this point, only by seeking out a professional like Daoist Xuan Gui can the impending disaster be averted.

Although his cultivation level was only so-so, he was still a Daoist of Changshan, and Daoist Xuangui would naturally have something to protect him from ghosts.

At this moment, stimulated by the yin energy, the talismans he had hidden in his bosom began to heat up.

Xuan Gui Daoist quietly reached into his robes and tore a talisman into pieces.

This talisman can enhance his perception of yin energy, allowing him to see ghosts.

The waiter was still walking forward.

Xuan Gui Daoist glanced ahead and saw the ghostly figure dart into a private room on the right.

A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

"Sir, we have arrived at VIP room number 105."

The waiter finally led Xuan Gui Daoist to the private room and gestured for him to enter.

Xuan Gui Daoist pushed open the door to the private room with a stiff expression.

He had expected to see a sinister old man inside, but instead, he found a neatly dressed old man with a short white beard and an upright appearance.

This old man didn't look like a master of evil arts at all; instead, he seemed like a righteous person.

The only thing about the other person that might be related to evil is that his eyes are slightly bluish, which is a sign of excessive yin energy.

The sight he saw was so different from what he had expected that it surprised Xuan Gui Daoist.

This person seems easy to talk to...

But upon turning around, Xuan Gui Dao Ren's heart skipped a beat.

A little brat was squatting not far from the old man, playing with a rag doll on the ground.

The doll's head was sewn together with tattered cloth, and it dragged around scarlet chunks of flesh that looked like internal organs, giving it a strange and twisted feel.

After taking a few more glances, Xuan Gui Dao Ren found himself becoming somewhat disoriented.

Noticing Xuan Gui Daoist's gaze, the little ghost turned around and grinned at Xuan Gui, revealing a row of white teeth and a pale, almost transparent face.

Master Xuan Gui looked away.

Kids are nothing rare.

Throughout his long and decades-long Taoist career, Xuan Gui Dao Ren had seen many little ghosts, and even personally went to kill them with his fellow disciples when he was young.

What struck him as odd was that someone was actually raising a kid like a junior...

How come this feels like a warm and cozy scene of a grandfather taking care of his grandson?

This eerie feeling, a mixture of warmth and bloodshed, sent a chill down Xuan Gui Daoist's spine.

The heat emanating from the remaining talisman paper in his arms grew stronger and stronger.

He looked to his left.

On the shelf by the window, the white bones, which looked like decorations, caught his eye.

A hideous ghost with a face covered in pitted wounds appeared beside the skeleton.

The ghost was tall with disheveled hair and wore tattered clothes, as if it had just been dug out of a tomb.

The hideous demon turned its head, its pair of pitch-black eyes looking at Taoist Xuan Gui.

Under the oppressive force of the evil spirit's terrifying resentment, Xuan Gui Daoist's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to his knees.

Such a terrifying ghost would require even the Daoist Master Mingzhen to set up an altar and treat it seriously, otherwise, a slight mishap could lead to disaster.

Now, asking someone like me, who deals with external affairs all day, to face such terrifying ghosts would be the death of me.

Xuan Gui Daoist wanted to say something, but he couldn't even open his mouth.

He dragged his limp body forward a couple of steps, glancing out the window out of the corner of his eye, and seemed to see something.

Xuan Gui Dao Ren subconsciously looked back at the window, and his heart skipped a beat again.

A ghostly face appeared out of nowhere in the dense canopy of trees outside the window, staring straight at him, giving him a sense of being locked on and terrified.

It's as if the ghostly face outside is a predator that is naturally superior, capable of instilling a natural sense of fear and oppression in anything that sees it.

Is it a ghost? Or some other eerie entity?

Xuan Gui Daoist had lived most of his life and had never seen such a bizarre creature.

The trees swayed, and the ghostly face disappeared into the canopy.

However, Daoist Xuan Gui knew that what he had just seen was not an illusion.

The presence of four eerie ghosts in a small tea room instilled in Xuan Gui Dao Ren a sense of dread, as if he had stepped into a world of spirits.

It's not simply about "walking in"; to be precise, it's about delivering groceries to your door...

Xuan Gui Daoist now deeply regrets not bringing that young Daoist along; otherwise, if something were to happen, there would be someone to shield him.

The prevailing social norms of today are not the same as in ancient times, where good and evil were incompatible.

Seeing so many terrifying things, Xuan Gui Daoist didn't have any thoughts of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path; he was only worried about whether he could leave the private room safely later.

Li Xiangwen, glancing sideways at Xuan Gui Dao Ren, suddenly frowned.

Why is this person so hesitant? It's been so long since they came over. Could it be that they have a problem with their legs?

The other side sent a disabled person to talk to him, intending to evoke his compassion?
Noticing Li Xiangwen's impatience, Xuan Gui Dao Ren felt a surge of pressure. He dragged his legs to the coffee table and gave Li Xiangwen a forced smile.

"sit."

With a long face, Li Xiangwen briefly introduced himself: "I am Li Xiangwen."

Xuan Gui Daoist carefully sat down opposite Li Xiangwen: "I am Xuan Gui, the one who contacted Layman Li before."

"Where's the book?" Li Xiangwen asked without any hesitation, holding out his hand.

He was so angry with Wu Zhiling yesterday that he kept thinking about it even when he lay in bed with his eyes closed last night.

He had lived for decades and had never been insulted like that before.

In the middle of the night, Li Xiangwen, who had finally fallen asleep, was suddenly awakened. When he saw that the person had asked him a couple of questions about Wu Zhiling, he guessed that the person must have had a conflict with Changshan.

Li Xiangwen was a little worried.

What kind of place is Changshan?
Although it is not as famous among the common people as Maoshan, its influence in several southern provinces is actually no less than that of Maoshan.

Not only industry insiders, but also ordinary people have heard various legends about Changshan.

After the Changshan lineage was integrated into the folk tradition, it absorbed various folk legends and folk techniques, forming a unique style of magic that subtly influenced the beliefs of people in several provinces, causing the reputation of Changshan to spread wider and wider.

Li Xiangwen, an industry insider, grew up listening to the legends of Changshan.

It is said that the Taoist priests on Changshan Mountain are all highly skilled individuals with magical powers, which has given rise to many interesting stories.

The previous head of Changshan Sect once used the Changshan Dharma Seal to suppress an evil dragon at the estuary and quell the storm. That's the story.

Such a story is definitely fake, but the fact that such a story can be told shows what kind of reputation Changshan has among the people.

Worried that the other person might suffer a loss, Li Xiangwen dared not sleep and kept his eyes wide open, researching Changshan's information.

Who knew that not long after, that bastard Wu Zhiling would remove him from the blacklist.

Li Xiangwen was very surprised and wondered if the mysterious being had used connections to find Changshan and communicate with him. So he sent an emoji.

As a result, the other party immediately "slid to his knees" and said that Wu Zhiling, that bastard, was about to die.

This startled Li Xiangwen so much that he jumped right out of bed.

It's impossible for Wu Zhiling to suddenly die.

It's impossible for Changshan to suddenly slide to his knees.

Li Xiangwen could only think of one reason why this could happen—that being had somehow almost killed Wu Zhiling.

Things can't be that coincidental; this is the only plausible reason.

This is completely different from what he thought of using connections to communicate.

After exchanging a few words with the guy who claimed to be Wu Zhiling's elder, Li Xiangwen asked the mysterious figure if he could make direct contact with Changshan, and received an affirmative answer.

He tentatively inquired again whether that being had a direct conflict with Changshan, and the being gave a definite answer.

In other words, that mysterious entity was in Ming City, somehow managing to nearly kill Wu Zhiling, who was hundreds of kilometers away, so that the people of Changshan would come looking for a solution. This method was beyond Li Xiangwen's comprehension.

The image that was gradually becoming clearer in his mind became blurry again.

If it were truly a ghost, could it do that?
Such terrifying ghosts can no longer be called "ghosts"...

Perhaps they really are beings like "yin spirits" or "ghost immortals"?

After sleeping all day, Li Xiangwen arrived at his usual teahouse, full of energy, as agreed.

Knowing that Wu Zhiling, who had lied to him and even insulted him, had been dealt with so badly, how could Li Xiangwen not be happy?
Even if the other party's backer is Changshan, Li Xiangwen, who feels he is in the right, can still say with righteous indignation, "They deserve it."

"Here, here."

Xuan Gui Daoist didn't dare to say anything more and directly placed the books he had prepared on the table and pushed them to Li Xiangwen.

Li Xiang casually flipped open the cover of the first book and saw the words "Spiritual Talisman Scroll" in large characters. He then said sarcastically, "Wu Zhiling sent me the same cover. Are you trying to fool me too?"

Master Xuan Gui smiled wryly and said, "Please don't joke, this book is definitely an authentic copy."

"This book has been circulating outside, and you must have seen it. Now, just open it and you'll know whether I'm fooling you or not."

A ghostly figure flashed past in his peripheral vision. He instinctively turned his head to look and found himself staring at the little ghost that was right next to him.

Looking into the kid's dark eyes, Hyun-kyu suddenly felt a strong sense of being watched, as if the kid had seen through everything about him.

This feeling instilled an indescribable sense of panic in Xuan Gui Dao Ren.

He awkwardly looked away and saw the little devil skipping and hopping over to Li Xiangwen's side, examining the book Li Xiangwen had opened.

Li Xiangwen even deliberately stepped aside to make room for him.

This strange harmony made Xuan Gui Dao Ren feel a strong sense of unease.

Even if someone raises a ghost and doesn't end up looking neither human nor ghost, they'll still be surrounded by yin energy.

Only Li Xiangwen, who was raising ghosts like children, hadn't even been touched by much yin energy himself.

Seeing that Li Xiangwen had turned to a few pages of the text, Xuan Gui Dao Ren explained, "The version that is most widely circulated online originated from Changshan, but it is not the same version as the one I brought. This version is the latest revised version from Changshan, and many contents have been modified according to geographical changes."

"The other books are explanations of the revised content, which is Changshan's sincerity."

After glancing at the pages a few times, Li Xiangwen closed the book, frowned, and said, "I bought the second volume. You brought the first volume; I don't feel any sincerity from you."

Having played the role of a master for many years, he naturally developed a masterly aura, and when he spoke, Xuan Gui Dao Ren felt a strong sense of pressure.

With a sudden jolt, Daoist Xuan Gui quickly said, "The second volume of the 'Spiritual Talisman and Ritual Scroll' has indeed been lost for quite some time. You can ask around if you know anyone from Changshan. I have absolutely not deceived you."

Li Xiangwen looked Xuan Gui Daoist up and down a few times: "What is your status on Changshan, Daoist Master?"

Taoist Xuan Gui cupped his hands and said, "All external affairs of Changshan are now under my management."

"Can the Taoist priest make that decision?"

"While I wouldn't say I have complete control, I can still make decisions on most things."

"Daoist Master, is this how things are?" Li Xiangwen took a sip of tea. "I gave money to your Changshan disciples, and in return, they just gave me a book, cursed at me, and blocked me?"

Xuan Gui Daoist argued, "Wu Zhiling isn't really a disciple of Changshan; his character is highly questionable..."

Li Xiangwen glanced sideways at Xuan Gui Daoist but remained silent.

Xuan Gui Daoist gradually stopped speaking.

Wu Zhiling has questionable character, but the documents he carries are genuine.

Setting down his teacup, Li Xiangwen said in a deep voice, "It's not that I want to make things difficult for you, but if Wu Zhiling can't produce something to prove his identity, do you think I'd be fooled?"

"Now that the money has been paid, isn't it a bit unreasonable to refuse to give me the book I asked for?"

Daoist Xuan Gui nodded honestly: "It is a bit excessive."

Li Xiangwen continued, "Is there a problem if I insist on having the book?"

Daoist Xuan Gui nodded: "No."

After saying that, he sighed: "But that book has indeed been lost for many years, and even our Changshan Sect cannot find it."

"Since you know so much about our Changshan Sect, you should know that the 'Spiritual Talisman Scroll' is one of Changshan's core secrets. If the second volume really exists, it certainly cannot be kept hidden."

Li Xiangwen's understanding of the Changshan School came entirely from folk tales and snippets of conversation with his peers; he had no real knowledge of it.

At this point, you certainly can't say you don't understand.

He mumbled, "Master Xuan Gui, times have changed. There's no need to hide anything."

Xuan Gui shook his head and said, "To be honest, that book has indeed been lost for a long time, and we really can't produce it."

Li Xiangwen spread his hands: "I paid the money, so I have to get the book. No matter where you go to argue, I'm in the right."

"Changshan walks the righteous path, and I am also a righteous person. There shouldn't be any conflict. We could have just sat down and talked it out. The fact that things have turned out this way is only because of Wu Zhiling and... Changshan. Do you think what I said is correct?"

The problem is huge...

You keep a bunch of ghosts around you, and the methods you use are so evil, it's quite incongruous to put them together with "righteousness".

In the past, countless people would have jumped out to fight against evil and uphold justice.

But ignoring the methods used, what this lay Buddhist Li did was indeed not wrong.

After a moment, Daoist Xuan Gui smiled wryly and said, "We can return the money to Layman Li and give him sufficient compensation."

Li Xiangwen shook his head: "If Master Xuan Gui had found me before midnight today, things would have been much easier to discuss."

Hyun-gyu didn't know what to say.

People of high standing always care about their reputation.

He felt that the things Wu Zhiling said to others in the chat were excessive.

Afterwards, Changshan, without asking why, got into another fight with someone else...

The important thing is that they lost the fight...

From Li's perspective, he must have felt somewhat wronged.

After a moment's thought, Daoist Xuan Gui said, "How about we hand Wu Zhiling over to the layman for disposal?"

Now it was Li Xiangwen's turn to not know what to say.

After taking a sip of tea, he said speechlessly, "That's still a human life, Taoist priests, please try to save it."

Li Xiangwen only knew that Wu Zhiling was going to die, and that was from what the Taoist Xuan Gui in front of him had told him.

He's a good person, and he says things literally.

If someone is about to die, then of course we should try to save them.

But to Xuan Gui Dao Ren, these words meant something completely different.

Wu Zhiling is under a curse and is on the verge of death. It is unknown how long he has left to live. Sending them to save him now is just sending them back to break the curse and have another battle between the two sides.
Xuan Gui Daoist's heart grew heavier and heavier.

Seeing that Daoist Xuan Gui remained silent, Li Xiangwen said no more and stood up, saying, "I've said everything I needed to say. If Daoist Xuan Gui has anything else to say, you can send me a message directly."

After saying that, he carried the books out of the private room.

Xuan Gui Daoist did not move for a moment.

After a while, feeling a headache coming on, he patted his forehead, looked up, and found that the little devil and the white bone on the shelf had both disappeared.

Turn around and look again.

The eerie ghost face outside the window didn't reappear.

Relieved, Daoist Xuan Gui slumped into his chair.

A dozen minutes later, he walked out of the teahouse and made a phone call on the roadside.

The young Taoist priest's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Uncle-Master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Xuan Gui Daoist said in a deep voice. "Things aren't so easy to resolve."

"It's good that my martial uncle is alright." The young Taoist breathed a sigh of relief. "What kind of person was that?"

Xuan Gui Daoist frowned and said, "It keeps ghosts, and you can't tell what kind of creatures they are. They don't show any evil aura at all, but they are very scary. If you ask me, they are... unfathomable."

……

Li Zhen, who had been watching Li Xiangwen's conversation with the Taoist Xuan Gui the whole time, opened his eyes at this moment.

The Taoist priest who arrived was quite ordinary-looking, which surprised Li Zhen.

The mahjong prodigy they sent out was completely useless...

Sending only the kid shouldn't be a problem for the other side...

Feeling somewhat tired, Li Zhen rubbed his temples.

He absolutely had to get his hands on the second volume of "The Scroll of Spiritual Talismans and Magic".

Li Xiangwen's insistence on having the second volume of the book was naturally at his behest.

As for whether the second volume of "Spiritual Talisman Scroll" was missing, Li Zhen didn't know, but judging from the behavior of that Xuan Gui Daoist, there seemed to be hope of finding it.

His "long-haired magic" will find Wu Zhiling soon.

The Changshan School doesn't have much time to consider.

Li Zhen turned to look at the ghost fetus.

At this moment, the demon fetus was semi-transparent, its entire body shimmering with blood-red light, and its tentacles had already reached out of the iron barrel, wriggling unconsciously.

It's time to wake up...

(End of this chapter)