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

Chapter 58 The Taoist Priest Spreading Mischief

The Taoist stared at the dozen or so blurry black dots in the water basin, feeling a splitting headache.

The True Lord's instructions haven't been properly carried out yet, so how come the three strongest members have mysteriously disappeared?
A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the young Taoist priest standing nearby, and he stepped forward, saying:
"Master, now that the True Lord has chosen us, we, master and disciple, have no choice but to follow him wholeheartedly!"

How could the Taoist not understand this principle?
But he felt a chill in his heart, because in the past he had only managed to fool the unsophisticated villagers with his eloquent tongue.

Now he's being asked to deceive Prince Anqing! How can he not be afraid?
Even though the divinely inspired True Lord bestowed upon him a magical treasure, the real power lies in the treasure, not in this charlatan Taoist priest!
“I understand,” the Taoist sighed, “but the two of us are not cut out for great things!”

Sometimes he really wanted to ask Zhenjun if, after entrusting this matter to the two of them, Zhenjun himself wasn't really taking it seriously.
But these words could only be thought in one's mind. If one were to actually ask, the Taoist would probably tremble at the thought of the True Lord's ability to summon ghosts and demons.

Forget it, forget it. At worst, I'll lose my head if I offend the prince.

But if you displease the True Lord, you might not find peace even after death.

After repeating those words to myself once again.

The Taoist priest summoned his young apprentice and whispered:

"Disciple, in order to fulfill the True Lord's request, your master thinks we should go all out tonight. However, your master would like to discuss with you how to maximize the power of that magic weapon!"

The young Taoist immediately understood and replied:
"Master, why worry so much? Just scatter all those ghosts to the north of the city! The powerful families of Qingzhou have their roots here."

The Taoist priest thought so too, but still hesitated and said:
"The True Lord said it would be best for us to spread our influence everywhere, because those evil spirits will be able to distinguish them on their own. So it wouldn't be good for us to just release them all in the north of the city, would it?"

The young Taoist explained:
“But Master, you must think about it. The people in other places are either from small, humble families or just ordinary people. The Yin items that the True Lord has given us are limited.”

"If we go to those places, it won't make a ripple, and the results will be minimal. But if we go in front of powerful families, it will definitely reach the prince's ears!"

"And all the True Lord wants is for us to gain the Prince's trust and persuade him. As for how to accomplish it, the True Lord doesn't care. But in my opinion," Dao Tongfeng changed the subject, "the Prince actually believed it when he saw the magic weapon display its power that day."

The Taoist priest was surprised to hear this:

“How come you see?”

"Oh dear, Master!" the young Taoist said with a hint of helplessness. "Have you forgotten how the Prince looked when he encountered a ghost in broad daylight? With such skill, who wouldn't be convinced?"

"But if you believe it, why do you still refuse to listen?" The Taoist still had doubts.

The young Taoist priest grew increasingly helpless, thinking to himself: "Isn't it because you, Master, showed your weakness? Otherwise, why wouldn't the Prince listen?"

He still vividly remembers that when his master activated the magic weapon and allowed the prince to see its power, the prince's face showed not the fear of an ordinary person, but a greed that went deep into his bones and almost overflowed from his eyes!
With destiny in his favor, the assistance of wise men, and the promise of a great undertaking, who wouldn't be tempted?
Moreover, the prince is a legitimate member of the imperial family with the bloodline of the emperor!

At that moment, the young Taoist was even certain that if his master had been a little more assertive, the prince, even if he didn't immediately obey, would certainly have relied on him greatly.

Unfortunately.
The young Taoist couldn't help but glance at his master, who was timid and hesitant even with his magic weapon in hand.

He truly didn't understand why the True Lord would entrust such a great responsibility to his master.
Although he himself did not expect that his master, who could talk eloquently to countless people on ordinary days, would immediately turn into a spineless shrimp when it came to a really important matter.

But it doesn't matter. Even though the prince is high above, he is still just an ordinary mortal in the face of the magical treasure bestowed by the True Lord.

As long as this matter is genuine, the prince will at most hesitate, but will not do anything to them.

Besides, if the prince truly had no interest in such matters, why would he bother inviting his master and disciple to this lakeside courtyard? And why would he go to such lengths to visit every single day amidst his busy schedule?
Persuaded by the young Taoist, the Taoist finally made up his mind.

"Good! I've wasted half my life, and now my luck has finally turned around. I can't let myself back down!"

"Disciple, bottoms up!"

"Well done, Master!"

The young Taoist was overjoyed. As long as his master could stand up for himself, with the True Lord as their backer, how could they not rise to prominence?

Who knows, it might actually be possible to achieve longevity and immortality!
As night fell, the Taoist priest chanted incantations over the water basin in his hand. A dozen or so black dots swirled and moved around on the basin.

Gradually, the image reflected in the water basin was no longer the roof of the small courtyard, but transformed into the northern city of Qingzhou—the very place where the gentry families of Qingzhou had established themselves!

After completing the ritual, the Taoist felt utterly exhausted, his face ashen. He thought to himself that the treasure bestowed by the True Lord was truly powerful, and even with the incantation, it was not easily controlled. He hurriedly put down the water basin and asked his disciple to help him to a chair to catch his breath.

"Haha. This, this True Lord's magic weapon is indeed incredibly powerful." He was panting heavily, his face ashen, but he still struggled to give the order, "Quickly tell the soldiers outside to cook me a bowl of ginseng soup to nourish me."

Even as he struggled to breathe, the Taoist's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, revealing a hint of greed and longing as he said:
"I've heard that the medicinal herbs in these noble people's mansions are all rare and precious items that would never catch their eye!"

"Hehe, I never thought someone like me would have such a good meal!"

The young Taoist hurriedly ran out and gave a few instructions to the armored warrior who had never left the door.

One of the other party members immediately left respectfully.

Before long, a bowl of steaming ginseng soup was delivered to the small courtyard in the middle of the lake.

It is clear that even though the Taoist priest acted like a coward that day, King Anqing still cared about him a lot and treated him with great respect.
-
After the Taoist priest finished his ritual...

Several dark shadows also slowly flew over the majestic Qingzhou city wall in the night.

Such a sight would be impossible for even the best archer in the army to discern in the darkness of the night.

It could only be when they slowly fell onto the main street in the north of Qingzhou City.

Only under the illumination of the lights of the surrounding grand courtyards could it be seen by people.

The Taoist priest, who was happily sipping ginseng soup in his chair, did not notice that four or five of the dozen or so shadows in his water dish, for some reason, flew out of the city on their own, unaffected by any orders.

As a result, of the dozen or so evil spirits that were already missing three for some unknown reason, only eight remain in the north of the city.

As the cold wind blew, the grotesque creatures that had been huddled together in a daze suddenly became clear-headed and gained consciousness.

But deep within his mind, everything was hazy and indistinct; he couldn't remember the origin of his name.

However, compared to those minor details, these few evil beings felt extremely hungry and thirsty.

(End of this chapter)