Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 181 Tearing Off Faces (Early Update)
Second floor of the backyard
The leftmost guest room

Li Wushou stood by the window and waved towards the mist.
A tiny paper donkey, no bigger than a palm and with legs of different lengths, rustled up the wall of the wooden house.

The paper goddess waited to the side and handed over a red piece of paper. The paper donkey bowed its hooves as it took the paper and went down the wall again.

"Is this okay?"

Li Wushou gazed at the short, paper donkey that had disappeared into the thick fog and asked softly.

The Paper Goddess respectfully replied:

"The master said there was nothing wrong with his drawing, except that the things in the middle were cut from paper, and although it was blood-stained paper, it wouldn't last long."

Li Wushou nodded, touched his brow, and the illusory image of the Three Immortals Hall that had been shrouding the room returned to the White Paper Taoist Temple with the Paper Goddess.

Li Wushou couldn't afford to be careless, after all, the donkey Taoist living next door had a different heart.

Who knows if the other person's ears are as good as a donkey's?
After finishing their tea, Li Wushou and the Donkey Taoist lost their interest in conversation. Under Huang A's arrangement, the two went to the two guest rooms on the far left of the second floor to rest.

They say they're taking a break, but they're all busier than anyone else!

Inside the kitchen, Sister-in-law Huang and Huang Ping were busy working enthusiastically.

The donkey peddler was equally busy in the next room.

As soon as he entered the room, the Donkey Taoist couldn't wait to take off his clothes.

Unlike before when it was stuck to his stomach, the red talisman now seemed to be growing on the donkey Taoist's stomach.

The Taoist priest snorted coldly, took out a donkey hair from his sleeve. The hair was coarse and stiff, and he pricked it against the tip of his tongue.

As the blood dripped down, the Taoist priest caught it with his fingers and began to trace the outline of the talisman where it met his belly.

A moment later, the talisman that was about to grow into the stomach was peeled off again, returning to its previous state of being tightly attached but also able to be removed at any time.

But the Taoist priest didn't stop; he continued to use his hands to collect the blood and carve lines at the connection between his stomach and the talisman.

Li Wushou guessed that this was the Donkey Taoist's way of dealing with Sister Huang's hiding things in the tea and food.

However, because Li Wushou stored the tea in the tree pit inside his throat, he did not immediately realize that there was anything unusual about it.

The old beggar guessed that it was related to corpse sacrifice.

But just now, when Li Wushou saw Huang A's wife and Huang Ping worshiping the willow tree, and finally inserting the ashes into Huang Ping's large-bellied shrine...

He keenly noticed that the tea stored in the tree pit suddenly emitted a misty vapor.

Meanwhile, the donkey-walking man in the next room revealed a cold smile.

"Creak~Creak~"

Heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs, the wooden planks groaning under the weight.

"Donkey Master, the meal is ready. Go down and eat."

Li Wushou composed himself; the real show was about to begin.

Without waiting for the burly Huang Ping to knock on the door, he opened the door and went out.

The burly man, who had walked halfway, was slightly taken aback when he saw Li Wushou emerge. He then instinctively stepped aside to make way for Li Wushou.

Unfortunately, his belly was too big, taking up two-thirds of the corridor.

If Li Wushou were to walk by, he would inevitably bump into the other person's belly.

Seeing this, the donkey master behind him called out, "Huang Ping, your belly is too full, get down first!"

The big man scratched his head, turned around, and went downstairs first.

Li Wushou and Donkey Master exchanged a glance, both seeing the smiles in each other's eyes.

When the two arrived at the front hall, they were immediately drawn to a table full of delicious food.

The charcoal fire glowed red, and the stewed dog meat and seafood hot pot simmered and bubbled, filling the entire hall with their aroma.

Even knowing there was something wrong with this thing, Li Wushou's mouth watered at the sight of it.

The two sat at the table, with Sister-in-law Huang warming the wine beside them.

The donkey-walking man pointed to the drinks and introduced them with great familiarity:

"This is willow leaf wine, a specialty of Huangmao Village. Fellow Daoist Li, you should definitely try it."

"Fellow traveler, I'm not a good drinker."

Li Wushou did not refuse, but simply explained in a low voice, and sat down at the dining table with the Donkey Taoist.

The Taoist priest smiled upon hearing this, and without urging him to drink, simply replied:
"Enjoy yourself!"

Huang Ping set out bowls and chopsticks for the two of them, and ladled a bowl of soup from the three-delicacy pot for each of them.

"Appetizing!"

Li Wushou and the Donkey Taoist casually accepted the food and began to savor it.

This three-ingredient soup was indeed delicious, but when Li Wushou drank it, his stomach twitched uncontrollably.

The mouth received the package, but the stomach didn't, which made it very dissatisfied.

Its stomach contracted, and if Li Wushou hadn't controlled it, it would have tried to crawl into Li Wushou's throat and pull the small tree blocking its way into its stomach to digest it.

Ignoring the heat of the soup, the donkey-walker drank the entire bowl of three-delicacy soup in one gulp, then praised it:
"Delicious!"

After placing the bowl on the square table, the Taoist began to introduce the dishes on the table to Li Wushou. Li Wushou would occasionally pick up some food, praising it as he ate.

This burly man, Huang Ping, is indeed very skilled; Li Wushou doesn't even need to manage his facial expressions.

Seeing Li Wushou's approving expression, Sister Huang also seemed very happy and kept urging him on:

"If you two like to eat, then eat more."

The Taoist priest nodded and ate a few bites.

Whether intentionally or not, he left the pot of fragrant dog meat until last, introducing it to Li Wushou.

Li Wushou held his chopsticks, his heart stirred. The old beggar in the Three Immortals Pavilion looked inexplicably nervous.

As for Chen Gou'er, he was squatting on the ground rather obediently, wiping his drool.

Although he was very hungry, he didn't make a fuss because he had just eaten a whole roasted lizard the night before.

Although he believed he was right, judging from the old beggar's reaction, his reasoning seemed to be weak, so it was best to keep a low profile for now.

Without realizing it, Chen Gou'er seemed to have learned to assess the situation. Just then, Sister Huang suddenly spoke softly, "The wine is ready for you two gentlemen, why don't you drink and eat at the same time?"

Donkey Master took the wine, took a sip without hesitation, then picked up a piece of dog meat, put it in his mouth, and his eyes narrowed in comfort.

"A bite of dog meat, a sip of wine, and even the most carefree immortals will tremble. Fellow Daoist Li, please have a taste."

Li Wushou put down his chopsticks and sighed inwardly. He actually wanted to try the dog meat too!
Taking the wine cup handed to him by Sister-in-law Huang, Li Wushou spoke again to the donkey Taoist:
"Fellow Daoist, I'm not a good drinker."

"It's alright, just enjoy yourself."

The Taoist priest responded with a smile, but before he could finish speaking, Li Wushou, who had just finished drinking, turned red in the face and collapsed onto the table.

The burly man Huang Ping scratched his head unconsciously, and the smiles on the faces of Huang A's wife and the donkey Taoist also froze.

His alcohol tolerance is really bad!
The Taoist priest walked up to Li Wushou, examined him several times, and said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation:

"He seems to have drunk too much. He's intoxicated!"

He initially thought that Fellow Daoist Li was up to something, but after checking several times, he couldn't find anything amiss. However, the Yin-Yang Daoist robe that Fellow Daoist Li was wearing was incredibly smooth.

But it's good that he's drunk; he'll be more peaceful later.

"Huang Ping, why don't you escort Fellow Daoist Li back to his guest room?"

The burly man glanced at Sister-in-law Huang, who nodded quietly. He then walked to Li Wushou's side, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and headed towards the backyard.

Upon entering the backyard, the burly man did not head towards the guest rooms. Instead, he turned and walked into the kitchen with Li Wushou on his back.

With a flick of his wrist, Li Wushou was placed upright on the table.

The knives beside him rattled loudly from the vibrations.

In the hall

After Huang Ping carried Li Wushou away

An eerie silence fell.

Only the bubbling sound of the soup simmering over charcoal remains.

The donkey-walker squinted as he drank wine and ate dog meat, but his expression was no longer as carefree as before; it seemed to have become solemn.

However, the donkey-walker's face was rather round, making him look less dignified and even somewhat comical at the moment.

Sister-in-law Huang's face was expressionless as she kept her head down and silently warmed the wine.

After a long while, until the pot of dog meat was empty and Huang A-sao's wine was finished, the pot of dog meat was empty.

The Taoist priest wiped his mouth with his sleeve, looking somewhat disgusted, and said with a smile:
"We've eaten and drunk everything we wanted. Village Chief Huang and Sister-in-law Huang, isn't it time to get down to business?"

As Sister-in-law Huang was tidying up the wine vessels, she heard the Donkey Taoist's words and suddenly raised her head to look at him.

"What does Master Donkey mean by this?"

The donkey-walker leaned back slightly, rubbing his stomach with both hands, as if he had eaten too much.

"I've been in Huangmao Village for over a decade, and I thought we were both honest with each other. How come even now, Sister-in-law Huang is unwilling to tell the truth? And Village Chief Huang, the fog outside is so thick, and you're getting on in years. Don't you really plan to come in and warm yourself up?"

The Taoist priest had a smile on his lips, looking completely at ease.

The previously confident Sister-in-law Huang instantly became alert, her expression turning serious.

"Ah~ Master Donkey, you truly possess unparalleled Taoist magic! This old man is in awe!"

An old voice suddenly rang out outside the village shop. With a soft creak, Village Chief Huang pushed open the door and casually tossed his straw hat on the doorway.

After the gate was opened, shadowy figures appeared in the mist, followed by rustling sounds.

In the mist, a series of eerie corpses silently surrounded the large willow tree outside the village shop, bowing in worship.

The Taoist priest narrowed his eyes. Through the donkey's eyes, he saw this scene, and smelling the thick stench of death, he couldn't help but exclaim:
"That Corpse Willow God has been dead for so many years, I never expected that Huangmao Village could still accumulate so many corpses, truly remarkable!"

Village Chief Huang walked up to Sister-in-law Huang, and the murderous intent in their eyes was undisguised.

Upon seeing this, the donkey-walking man grinned, seemingly extremely pleased.

"What do you two mean by this? I have protected Huangmao Village for so many years, and in the end, is this the only friendship I get in return?"

Sister-in-law Huang's brow furrowed, her eyes turned bloodshot, and she shouted at the Taoist priest:

"Protect Huangmao Village? Do you really think we don't know that the evil spirit that is harming Huangmao Village is you?"
Your sorcery is indeed unparalleled; neither Village Chief Huang nor I could see through it. But you shouldn't have turned my grandson into a yellow dog and sent him to the village shop.

"With you feeding one or two dogs every month for years, you've practically emptied Huangmao Village out of business!"

The Taoist priest was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and asked with some confusion, "Turn your grandson into a yellow dog?"

Seeing this, Sister Huang gritted her teeth and said:

“Didn’t you have a great meal tonight? My grandson has a birthmark on his bottom that looks exactly like the yellow dog you brought over yesterday.”

The donkey-walker didn't refute, but suddenly turned to look at Village Chief Huang.

"So, you let those two children sneak out of my Dharma realm today just to verify an answer?"

Village Chief Huang nodded, equally indignant.

"Yes, what a spectacle! The Donkey Master can not only turn people into dogs, but he can even turn them into donkeys!"

The Taoist priest nodded slightly and muttered something.

"No wonder those two kids ran so fast, and no wonder the kid's head tasted like a corpse. Did you replace his eyes with corpse eyes?"

Without waiting for Village Chief Huang's answer, the donkey-walker asked another question:
"So you came to greet me today to confirm the deaths of those two children, and then to determine the timing with Sister Huang?"

Village Chief Huang's face turned cold, and he shouted angrily.

"You beastly sorcerer, still trying to play tricks! So what if you are? So what if you aren't? You've nearly wiped out Huangmao Village by exploiting its inhabitants over the years. Tonight is your death night!"

The donkey-walker stood up from the chair, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, and a smile spread across his face.

"Hahaha"

Gradually, his face became somewhat deranged and distorted.

"Stop with the hypocrisy. Hasn't Huangmao Village eaten enough people? If I hadn't run away quickly back then, Huangmao Village would have eaten me long ago. You yourselves wouldn't have been able to stand it."

"And didn't you already guess that? It's just that you don't feel the pain unless it's eaten directly!"

(End of this chapter)