Headless Immortal

Chapter 90 Taoist Magic and the Great General
"Name."

"Dog's Leftovers".

"Place of origin."

“People from Qushui Village”.

"..."

……

hula.

The constables tore off the dark red cloth covering the statue, which had been stained black by smoke.

Cheng Yan looked at the clay sculpture, on which sat a huge, strange creature with rough skin, slightly wide and fat but looking extremely majestic.

The strange creature made a ferryman's hand gesture with its right hand, and placed its left hand in the lotus mudra between its legs. It had a round head, a tapir-like nose, and two large eyes with drooping eyelids covering its gaze, looking down with compassion.

Looking behind the statue, you can see an oval-shaped shell on its back.

Only now does Cheng Yan know what the old temple owner looks like.

"The old temple originally enshrined a large turtle."

"Shhh."

"The legend of the Eighth King has been passed down for generations."

"What Eight Kings? It's just an old turtle that has become a spirit."

"All licentious shrines and evil rituals must be destroyed; this is an order from the imperial court."

The constables were buzzing with discussion.

"squeak."

Grey Treasure leaped into the air and landed on the statue. It ran up to the head and used its little paws to pry out a crystal gem from the clay sculpture's forehead. Then it quickly returned and presented it to Cheng Yan as if presenting a treasure.

Cheng Yan picked up the gemstone, about the size of a pigeon's egg, without understanding why. As the gemstone lay in his hand, his inner energy suddenly surged, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to gather around him instantly. Although he didn't know what it was, it was obviously a valuable item. Instead of keeping it, he handed it to the black cat on his backpack.

The old cat touched the gemstone and immediately felt a strong spiritual energy, but that was all. As for how much it could sell for?

After examining it closely, the golden cat-like eyes found that it was not as clear as glass made in the modern world.

I doubt it will fetch a good price.

In other words, it is useful for personal spiritual practice.

Lu Xun refused, nudging the cat's paw to signal Cheng Yan to quickly put it away, as obtaining a treasure that aids in cultivation is not easy.

"uncle……"

Cheng Yan recognized it as a treasure, but since Uncle Cat had taken such good care of it, how could he keep it all to himself? Perhaps it could be used to its fullest potential by Uncle Cat.

The black cat shook its head and waved its paws, then nodded slightly.

The power he uses with his head doesn't seem to require cultivation. This thing is just a tool for him to restore his mana. It would be better to let Cheng Yan, this young man, have it, as it would be of some help to his cultivation.

It's good to become stronger.

The old cat insisted on refusing.

Cheng Yan reluctantly put it away, unaware that Lu Xun, the black cat, was plotting something far more ambitious.

A few moments.

All the items in the old temple were rummaged through and turned upside down.

Qian Xiong looked at Daoist Chen Jing.

The Taoist priest nodded slightly, shook the bell with his left hand, and chanted incantations while making hand gestures with his right hand.

The black shadow before them lost its malevolent aura, and the crimson eyes instantly returned to clear black and white pupils.

A look of confusion flashed in Huang Mu's eyes, as if he hadn't quite adjusted yet. After a moment, he came to his senses, looked at his outstretched hands, and asked without surprise, "I've become a ghost?"

"Not yet."

Master Chen pulled his disciple Chunlei aside and asked, "What is his current condition?"

"Soul".

What's the difference between a soul and a ghost?

"A person's soul is divided into three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are Tai Guang, Shuang Ling, and You Jing, while the seven spirits are Shi Gou, Fu Shi, Que Yin, Tun Zei, Fei Du, Chu Hui, and Chou Fei..."

Chunlei recited the book's definition of souls, but when it came to the difference between souls and ghosts, he started scratching his head in confusion.

Old Master Chen smiled helplessly, stroked his beard, and said, "Go back and copy the Ghost Chapter of the Lushan Scripture three times."

"what?"

"Huh what?"

"There's no master..."

Chunlei pouted and looked at his senior brother beside him, but his senior brother turned his head away seriously, avoiding eye contact with him.

Qian Xiong turned to a blank page, preparing to write as he looked at Huang Mu's spirit: "Old Temple Master Huang, speak up. At this point, let's be frank."

Huang Mu reached for the jade pipe without thinking, but found that he could no longer reach anything and the pipe was no longer hanging from his waist. He simply put down his withered hand, looked at the statue in the temple, and remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Old man, I have nothing to say."

"Old man Huang, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

Qian Xiong flew into a rage, kicking over the offering table in front of him. He placed his official boots on the overturned railing, draped his arm over it, and bulged his leopard-like eyes: "You have committed heinous crimes by protecting a monster and allowing it to wantonly slaughter the people of Meilan!"

He turned to the yellow-robed Taoist priest and asked, "Taoist priest, is there any way to get him to talk?"

The man is dead, so he can't use torture, but right now there is a master from the Lushan Sect.

Master Chen chuckled: "I'm an expert when it comes to souls."

"Winter brings forth life, spring brings thunder."

"The disciple is here."

"Open the altar!"

The altar was quickly completed.

Master Chen Jing held the spirit knife in his left hand and cleaved it horizontally across his arm. With his right hand, he made a hand seal in front of him, and his magical power gathered into light that dissolved in the incense burner.

"Please summon the soldiers."

The large Dongsheng took out a small flag and a scroll from the basket on his back. He slowly opened the scroll, and two soldiers in armor immediately emerged. Their armor and weapons were very sophisticated. The shackles and clubs looked like those of fire and water officials. Dongsheng respectfully presented the small flag with both hands, and Chen Jing put it down and grabbed it.

call!
Waving the flag.

"Take it."

Two soldiers who emerged from the painting stepped forward to escort Huang Mu away.

Huang Mu was not about to surrender.

Although he is not a ghost yet, he is only a hair's breadth away from being one.

As long as he could cultivate a ghostly body through magical power, he could naturally regain most of his former strength. Before he could even resist, the two soldiers threw out grappling hooks that pierced his collarbone, locked his shoulders, and then placed shackles around his neck, making it impossible for him to break free.

The soldiers kicked out and stomped on Huang Mu's knees.

thump.

The old temple keeper knelt on the ground.

At the same time, they saw the two soldiers' ferocious faces, with blue faces and fangs, and a pair of scarlet eyes. They were clearly two evil demons wearing armor.

Cheng Yan could not hide his shock. Suddenly, his shoulder felt heavy; it was his senior brother Yang Shen's large, kind hand.

Senior Brother Yang said with a smile, "Junior Brother is really lucky. On your first trip down the mountain, you can see the high priest of Lushan Sect setting up an altar to command the troops. But don't underestimate yourself. The academy's abilities are not bad."

The idiom is to cup one's hands in a fist salute.

Lu Xun, the black cat with half its body on the backpack, squinted its golden eyes. He remembered that when he was at Master Song's house, the old Taoist said that he did not bring any soldiers. Now he saw it and found that the old Taoist's methods were indeed amazing.

Grey Treasure huddled in front of the old cat, unwilling to face these rampaging soldiers.

Chunlei stood with his hands on his hips, his little face full of pride. His boastful gaze finally landed on Old Cat's round face, as if to say, "See? We looked so pathetic because we didn't bring any troops."

The black cat's smile was faint.

"The scene that follows is probably not going to be very pleasant. The constable can take them to wait outside the temple," Chen Jing, who was holding the spirit knife, said with a smile.

"Taoist Priest..."

Qian Xiong hesitated. He was also very curious about the Taoist methods of the Lushan Sect, so when he saw that the group of constables were not moving and were all craning their necks, he wanted to ask if it was necessary to go out.

"You can stay if you want."

Chen Jing did not force them to leave.

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped closer and stood in front of Huang Mu, saying calmly, "Layman Huang, you should still speak, so as to avoid suffering for your soul."

"Ah."

……

"what!"

The screams startled the birds into flight, and along with the screams came the rushing constables, each one wishing their parents had given them more legs. The moment they emerged, they each found a place to vomit or retch, some even with their calves twitching, their eyes red with tears.

Ma Ye, his face grim, gulped down a mouthful of water from his water bag, wiped his mouth, and handed it to Yang Shen. He glanced at the still-lit temple with lingering fear: "Is this a place for Taoist practice?"

Yang Shen had no desire to drink water: "The Lushan Sect mainly uses witchcraft and magic, so it's normal for them to be a bit ruthless."

Cheng Yan, her lips trembling, sat by the steps.

He was no longer curious about torture.

A black cat crouched nearby, its throat constantly bobbing.

Lu Xun felt he had seen plenty of bloodshed, but this method was still far too challenging. Because it involved a soul, the torture was even more impactful.

He's gotten used to vomiting, so he managed to stop himself from vomiting. Otherwise, he would definitely be one of those people vomiting in the bushes right now.

After a short while, the screams subsided.

Qian Xiong and Master Chen walked out of the temple gate, followed by a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat. The swordsman's face was expressionless, except for a twitch at the corner of his eye.

Two apprentices from Lushan, one older and one younger, quickly came forward to greet them.

They just rushed out the door with the constables.

Qian Xiong looked at everyone and said, "He confessed."

"Let's go back and report to the master."

Qian Xiong's face turned pale, and his lips twitched a few times.

……

Master Lü didn't blame the disturbance; his immediate priority was to eliminate this deeply hidden monster's lair: "Speak."

Qian Xiong paused briefly to organize his thoughts before speaking: "Reporting to the Master."

"Huang Mu has long been in cahoots with monsters. The temple he built is dedicated to the Living Buddha of Taoyuan Township. It used to be called the Eight Kings Temple or the Old Temple."

"He gave the fishermen who came to pray for blessings a magical object, enabling them to reach Taoyuan Township on the Xunyang River."

Master Chen sat down and calmly sipped his tea.

Two young Taoist boys stood on the Taoist priest.

Chunlei leaned down and whispered something in Chen Jing's ear.

Chen Jing's gaze fell on the big black cat. He did feel that the black cat was unusual, but he had seen many monsters over the years, and these intelligent little spirits were even more common. He hadn't expected Chunlei to tell him that it was indeed that three-legged cat.

The black cat seemed to sense the Taoist's gaze and turned its golden eyes to look at him.

"He really is a great general."

Chen Jing smiled slightly, his soft voice sounding like the wind, and nodded to the black cat.

Old Cat Lu Xun nodded his head in response.

clever.

This was Chen Jing's second impression of the old cat.

My first impression was of the courage the Song family spoke of, but that was about it.

A spirit that doesn't even have a demonic form and can't speak might attract attention at best. Perhaps it will achieve something great in the future, but for now, it's nothing special.

The main hall was brightly lit.

Master Lü frowned and asked, "So, this so-called Peach Blossom Spring has existed for a long time?"

"Yes."

"Why has the exchange of jewelry for silver only recently come to light?"

Qian Xiong replied, "Reporting to the lord, according to Huang Mu, it is because Qingquan Temple was raided and confiscated that Taoyuan Township is preparing to buy it with silver and rebuild the temple as a 'living Buddha'."

Lü Qian was in a real bind.

It's Qingquan Temple again.

Looking at the people sitting below, most of them had come for this empty temple.

Magistrate Lü Qian asked again, "Is there a way to enter Taoyuan Township?"

"Have."

"What else do you need?"

"Soldiers and horses".

Lu Qian immediately placed his hand on the table: "Good! I will have the county constable cooperate with you to mobilize troops to wipe out the demon scourge."

"We will march on Taoyuan Township in three days!"

(End of this chapter)