The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 15 Demonic Way!

Above the hills and valleys, Du Yuan's clothes fluttered in the wind.

Gazing at the distant, high sky.

After a long while, Du Yuan silently turned away, having confirmed that there was nothing else to do.

Then he rolled up his trouser legs and ran frantically into the deep mountains and forests.

What just happened clearly meant that I had stumbled upon someone's scheme.

No wonder I encountered a horse demon and a zombie in such a strange way.

Emotions and such should all be part of this overall structure!
So when that thing questioned Du Yuan about who she was.

Without thinking, Du Yuan shouted, "Little Western Paradise, Leiyin Temple."

The purpose is to divert the other party's attention.

As she ran, Du Yuan kept looking back at what was behind her.

Seeing that nothing was chasing them.

Du Yuan smiled smugly and said:

"Go ahead and look for me! It was the monks of Leiyin Temple in Xiaoxitian who offended you, not me, a Taoist priest!"

As she spoke, Du Yuan took out the travel permit.

As expected of something specially prepared for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, even the material is top-quality sandalwood.

It also bears the official seal of the prefecture.

Du Yuan felt that with this, he could finally get rid of his identity as a monk.

As for whether they can find the Leiyin Temple in Xiaoxitian.

Hehe, Du Yuan learned from the caravan that the people here had no idea what Leiyin Temple was.

If we can find this, then please give my regards to Huang Mei.

But why is it that in such a small space, there are such obvious and impressive moves and strategies?

Because I was unaware of the whole picture, I couldn't see the key point.

Or was it that I thought this guy was really great, but he was actually a nobody who couldn't even be ranked?
Du Yuan felt that, based on what he had seen so far, it shouldn't be the latter.

As for the former, he can't delve into it now.

Moreover, Du Yuan's ultimate goal is to go home, not these things.

Previously, he had no clue where to start.

Now, Du Yuan has a way to break the deadlock.

That is—to utilize his abilities.

As long as people believe that he can go home, then he will definitely be able to go home!
for sure!
What Du Yuan needs to do now is to expand his influence as much as possible and make more people believe that he will successfully return home.

However, how to design this aspect still needs careful consideration.

For example, how to make people naturally and deeply believe in this.

Thinking about this, an idea vaguely emerged in Du Yuan's mind—I have come on behalf of Heaven to enlighten all directions, and only after I have accomplished my mission can I retire and return to my hometown.

It's theoretically feasible, but it still needs careful planning.

For example, we need to try our best to understand what kind of situation this world is in.

If the martial spirit here is too strong, then obviously we can't play like this.

Otherwise, the first question would be: Who do you think you are? How dare you claim to be acting on behalf of Heaven?

Also, I need to study this ability carefully myself.

So how do we conduct this research?
As Du Yuan pondered in the woods, she saw the official road not far ahead, and several pedestrians on it.

A moment later, Du Yuan gave a meaningful smile as she looked at the passersby.

Benefactor, this Taoist priest has arrived!
-
In Qing County, the county magistrate, Fang Zheng, was processing official documents in the back hall of the yamen.

Although the severe drought in Southwest China did not affect Qingxian County.

But that only meant the geographical area was unaffected; the turmoil in the imperial court had already swept in from the southwest!
The additional military taxes, corvée labor, and provisions levied were all giving him a major headache.

I wish I could split myself into two people.

Just as he finished processing an official document, Magistrate Fang saw the Registrar walk in quickly.

Upon seeing the red bag in the registrar's hand, Magistrate Fang's heart skipped a beat. Within the imperial court, the delivery and sealing of official documents at all levels were governed by strict etiquette.

At the county level, the documents are mostly sealed in blue bags, and at the prefectural level, they are only sealed in purple bags. Red bags are only used when a document comes down from the cabinet!
He stood up and said:
"whats the matter?"

The registrar smiled wryly:
"Your Excellency, the Grand Secretaries have ordered all levels of government offices to add a Pingnan tax."

"Oh? But didn't we just impose various tariffs? I even sent away the newly recruited soldiers not long ago!"

The registrar helplessly bowed towards the direction of Kyoto and said:
"My lord, this is not something we can decide; it is the cabinet's approval, the Emperor's consent!"

"Oh dear, how can the people live well with so many layers of taxes?"

Magistrate Fang was extremely agitated. After pacing back and forth for a long time, he asked again:

"How much more will our county have to collect this time?"

The registrar held up a number and said:

"That's a whopping three thousand taels of silver!"

Three thousand taels?!

Magistrate Fang exclaimed in surprise.

"Wouldn't this be like skinning the people alive?"

The registrar said helplessly:
"At least it won't be a major blow to our strength. Perhaps after pacifying the southwest, the imperial court will reduce or exempt taxes?"

"What time is that?"

Magistrate Fang was furious, but the registrar quickly signaled for him to shut up:

"Your Excellency, you can't say that! The censors are watching us every day!"

The magistrate was speechless with anger.

Instead, he said:
“No, the taxes on the people are already too heavy. I will go and contact the local gentry to see if we can raise the money temporarily.”

Just as the county magistrate was about to go out to contact local gentry at all levels.

Suddenly, the county magistrate walked in, accompanied by a Taoist priest.

Upon seeing the county magistrate's assistant, the county magistrate looked somewhat helpless.

He was the lord of the county, and the county magistrate was his deputy. Before his arrival, the local powerful families recommended that the county magistrate appointed by the imperial court be the true ruler of Qing County.

After he arrived, the deeply entrenched county magistrate of Qing County naturally had many complaints about him, a visiting official.

Most importantly, he came from a poor family through the imperial examinations, while the county magistrate was from a legitimate aristocratic family, though not one of the most famous.

There is an inherent animosity between the two sides.

The magistrate, however, showed no kindness towards the Taoist priest.

The southwest was originally just suffering from a severe drought. If it weren't for a damned Taoist priest spreading heresies, how could it have incited a popular uprising that caused Qing County to suffer for no reason?

He had long hated these scoundrels who talked about supernatural phenomena all the time.

Now that the other party has come to him, how can he possibly be polite?

Upon seeing each other from afar, the county magistrate addressed Magistrate Fang:
"Your Excellency, this is Master Ziyun, whose cultivation is extremely high, and he has important matters to report!"

Because it was brought by the county magistrate.

Therefore, Magistrate Fang suppressed his anger and calmly said:
"Oh, what brings you here, Master Ziyun? I have a lot of official business to attend to, so please don't keep me too long."

Master Ziyun has managed to get to where he is today thanks to his keen eye and silver tongue.

Therefore, he naturally noticed the subtlety of the situation.

He quickly formulated his plan in his mind and immediately addressed Magistrate Fang in a deep voice:
"Does Your Excellency know that such an evil creature as a zombie has appeared in your Qing County?!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Fang, who had just had a friendly expression, instantly changed color.

At the same time, he also uttered a statement that took everyone by surprise:

"Guards, seize this evil Taoist priest! Give him thirty lashes first, then lock him in the death row for further judgment!"

Upon hearing this, the confident and self-assured Master Ziyun was instantly dumbfounded.

The county magistrate then pointed at the county magistrate and cursed him:
"You dare, you surnamed Fang!"

Magistrate Fang then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the capital and shouted:

"Hmph, this is an imperial decree. Does your Zhang family intend to rebel by blocking my way?"

(End of this chapter)