Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 144 Heavenly Intent Turns Deadly, Humans and Ghosts Transform!

The tall, thin man at the head of the group was struck in the stomach by Qi Yun's final, precise punch.

He was curled up like a shrimp, kneeling on the ground, retching violently, vomiting bile, his face ashen, and his whole body trembling.

Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his plain clothes spotless, his breathing steady as ever. He looked down at the bandit leader, his voice still calm.

"Is the Yongzhou government completely inactive?"

The bandit leader, vomiting with tears and snot streaming down his face, looked up upon hearing this and met Qi Yun's deep, cold eyes. He was startled and hurriedly said...

"Spare me...spare me! Daoist, spare me!"

Yongzhou... Yongzhou has been in chaos for a long time!

The government... the government only cares about requisitioning grain and conscripting laborers; what does it care about the land itself?

"Why don't you join the army? At least you'd have some food to eat, wouldn't that be better than what you're doing here?"

The man was panting heavily, his face becoming even more ferocious, and he gritted his teeth, "Last year, when the disaster had just occurred, the government had already conscripted 80,000 people."

They stopped conscripting us and blocked all the main roads to other states, preventing us from leaving and leaving us to fend for ourselves in Yongzhou!

At this moment, the old Taoist priest Songfeng carefully examined the bandit leader's face and suddenly exclaimed, "You...you are Li Wazi from Changping Town?"
Five years ago, I passed through Changping Town and helped him!

Upon hearing this, the bandit leader stiffened abruptly, looked closely at Song Feng, and his turbid, red eyes first showed confusion, then suddenly erupted with intense shame and utter disgrace.

He suddenly lowered his head, pressed his forehead against the cold ground, and let out a mournful, beast-like wail, unable to utter another word.

Looking at the once simple and honest farmers before him, who had now become bandits who blocked the road and ate people, and recalling the madwoman who had been fiercely protective of her child, Song Feng felt a great sorrow choking him, and he could not utter another word.

The world is like a furnace, tormenting people to this extent!
Qi Yun remained silent for a moment, then turned to Song Feng and said, "Let's go."

The two passed the groaning bandits on the ground and continued westward.

Behind them, only the tall, thin man's suppressed, desperate wails echoed for a long time in the dried-up valley, even more mournful than the cries of ghosts.

The further into the heart of Yongzhou one goes, the more desolate the scene becomes.

The villages were all ruined, the fields were completely desolate, bones were exposed in the wilderness, and there was not a rooster crowing for miles.

The official road had fallen into disrepair over the years and was full of potholes.

The sun was scorching, and wisps of smoke rose from the earth.

A dilapidated building appeared by the roadside ahead.

Judging from its structure, it used to be a local earth god temple. Now the gate and walls are dilapidated, and rubble is everywhere. Only the main hall still has a roof, which can barely provide shade.

Qi Yun and Song Feng decided to rest for a while, drink some water, and then continue their journey.

Stepping into the dilapidated hall, one is greeted by a musty, dusty smell.

Songfeng found a relatively clean stone platform, took the water pouch from his waist and handed it to Qiyun.

Qi Yun took it, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, his gaze fell on the mottled and peeling wall opposite him.

On the wall, there was a fishing warrant that had just been plastered on!
The paper was inferior hemp paper with burrs on the edges, but the ink was extremely dark, exuding the unique imposing aura of official documents.

The wanted poster, from top to bottom, reads:

Imperial Edict No. 327 of Yongzhou Prefecture
According to the investigation, Qi Yun, a serious criminal from Liangyue Prefecture, was about 25 years old, over seven feet tall, with a handsome face and a fierce temperament.

The offender murdered officers and soldiers and plundered military supplies in Yuezhou, committing heinous crimes and deserving the death penalty according to the law.

This criminal has now escaped into Yong. All prefectures and counties must conduct strict checks at all checkpoints. Anyone who captures this scoundrel will be rewarded with three bushels of grain, regardless of life or death! All are to be informed and must not disobey!
Li Qinci, Prefect of Yongzhou

July 22nd, the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Jinglong of the Da Yong Dynasty

A portrait is attached to one side of the text. Although the brushwork is simple, it outlines a somewhat aloof temperament.

Especially those eyebrows and eyes, sharp as a knife, as if looking through the paper. Who else could it be but Qi Yun?
"The Yongzhou government ignores the countless starving corpses scattered across the fields, yet they're quick to issue arrest warrants!" Qi Yun's tone was indifferent, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

Song Feng's face turned pale, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Daoist Master! This..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from outside the temple, mixed with the clanging of armor scraping against each other. Song Feng's breath caught in his throat, and he instinctively looked at Qi Yun.

But Qi Yun seemed not to hear, and calmly unscrewed the water pouch, taking a slow and deliberate sip.

But the aura around him instantly froze into ice.

Although his posture remained unchanged, his killing intent had already silently spread.

Five soldiers from Yongzhou Prefecture stormed into the temple gate, cursing and swearing.

The leader was a squad leader with slanted eyes, one hand on his waist knife and the other fanning himself: "This damn weather is so hot I could raise fish in my armor!"

"Let's go in and rest for a bit, then dawdle until sunset before heading back to town to report!"

A fat soldier standing nearby panted, "Boss, didn't they say that killer star had passed Wuyang Pass and entered Yongzhou territory? Now so many people are desperately trying to escape, but he's jumping into the fire himself!"

As they walked in, they looked up and bumped into Qi Yun and Song Feng inside the temple.

The slanted-eyes leader first glanced at Song Feng, then curled his lip indifferently before glancing at the person next to him.

At that glance, he froze completely.

But the man slowly raised his eyes, his gaze calm as still water, yet chillingly cold.

The captain's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he desperately glanced at the wanted posters on the wall out of the corner of his eye.

The cold, stern eyebrows and distinct features in the portrait were overlapping inch by inch with the person in front of me!

The team leader suddenly turned around, coughed, and said, "Um... I'm going out to pee." His voice was weak.

The soldiers behind them were also seasoned veterans; they immediately realized what was going on and quickly agreed, "Let's go together! We've been holding in our pee all the way here!"

"Wait for me, I'll go too!"

The five men turned and walked out in unison, initially trying to appear calm. But after walking a dozen steps, the stalker suddenly took off running. The other four men immediately followed suit, their armor rattling loudly. Some even forgot to hold onto their swords, running for their lives and disappearing at the end of the path in the blink of an eye.

The temple's pine trees were stunned, and after a long while, they burst out laughing: "These people ran away faster than rabbits!"

Qi Yun smiled slightly: "We're all seasoned veterans who live off the government's paychecks. We know best which jobs we should fight for and which we should run away from."

He stood up, dusted off his robes, and said, "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's go."

The two immediately left the dilapidated temple, no longer taking the wide but easily checked official road, but instead turning southwest and choosing to travel along deserted paths.

As dusk settled, the sky gradually darkened.

The surrounding area was desolate, and there was not a single tile to be found, so they had to find a place to rest by the roadside.

The two quickly cleared a space, lit a small fire, and warded off the chill and darkness.

Songfeng, with his bundle as a pillow, quickly fell into a deep sleep after days of travel and exhaustion.

Qi Yun sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate his Qi.

Around midnight, all was quiet except for the occasional crackling of the fire.

Qi Yun suddenly opened his closed eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

He heard it. In the distance, extremely faint yet orderly footsteps were rapidly closing in on this place under the cover of night! There were about twenty people approaching, their steps steady.

He did not wake Songfeng immediately, but simply sensed it quietly.

A moment later, the footsteps stopped in the darkness ten feet away.

Then a low growl was heard.

"on!"

Immediately, more than a dozen dark figures rushed out of the darkness like wolves and tigers, each wielding a gleaming steel knife!

The blade reflected a cold luster in the dim firelight.

(End of this chapter)