From the beginning of this turbid world, the Taoist priest descended the mountain.

Lost child?

Lin Ye was taken aback upon hearing this. There had been quite a few strange things happening lately.

Liu Xiucai silently drank a cup of wine, then, by the dim light of the oil lamp beside him, seemed to remember something.

"When I was a child, I read some unofficial historical accounts. It was said that before the Xiongnu entered the pass, strange things happened all over the country. It wasn't until the Longtong Emperor bestowed titles upon all sorts of monsters and demons that things calmed down. Now that the Xiongnu have fallen, the Xuantong Emperor took his imperial edicts to the Northeast. Without the offerings of blood and flesh, those things are probably..."

Liu Xiucai's words made Lin Ye pause, thinking of his own cheat code.

The twelve most powerful demons and monsters devoured the divine remains of the four great rulers and became the twelve true lords.

He initially thought it was a glitch in the cheat system, but the more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became.

Thinking of this, he chuckled twice and offered a drink.

"Sir, you often say, 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' I have never seen these demons and monsters, but I have certainly seen the sorcery of the Tan'er Sect. I personally witnessed the woman's head attached to the wall at the rice shop owned by Manager Mei. Sir, what exactly is the origin of this Tan'er Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiucai took another sip of wine, and after pondering for a long time, he finally spoke.

"Strictly speaking, this sect does not belong to any of the three religions and nine schools of thought. It doesn't even belong to the nine professions of the underworld."

The so-called nine professions of the underworld are: paper maker, incantation doctor, coffin bearer, corpse sewer, executioner, ghost singer, corpse driver, corpse retriever, and tomb raider.

Lin Ye listened attentively and did not interrupt Liu Xiucai.

At this moment, Liu Xiucai, having drunk some wine, had a flushed face and, in a daze, began to talk.

"The leader of this altar sect is said to be a corpse-driving man from western Hunan. Later, he learned some 'teng techniques' in a witch village in Yunnan and married a ghost singer. He spent more than ten years developing the 'altar method'. Just then, the youngest son of General Liu of Hanjiang City fell ill, and after he cured him, the altar sect started in the Hanyang area."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye was immediately taken aback. He quickly asked, "Is he one of Commander Liu's favorites?"

Commander Liu was the de facto controller of Hanjiang City, which was located in Hanyang, after the Fourth Constitutional Protection War.

"Red my foot! Commander Liu is an ambitious man. He looks down on my skills, but he only let me use his influence once. He doesn't dare to offend those powerful people in the city, so this sect just survives in the towns below the major cities of Hanyang. It's only because they got involved with Master Huang that they were dealt with by your master long ago."

Master has this skill? The speaker may not have meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Remembering what my senior brother said today, Master came back looking sullen. It seems Master went through something in Goose City.

Lin Ye stopped asking after that question and focused on drinking with Liu Xiucai.

Don't think the old man is stupid. He's been in this messy world for so many years, he's seen all kinds of people.

After several rounds of drinking, Liu Xiucai was so drunk that he could no longer hold his liquor and passed out.

After taking good care of the old scholar, Lin Ye took him back to his room and tucked the blankets in.

He closed the door again, waiting for his master and himself to return so that he could hire some craftsmen to properly repair Liu Xiucai's place and the mortuary.

The moon shines brightly, and on this summer night, silver snow falls on the green steps.

Without any evil clouds obscuring the moon, we could walk back without any light.

Lin Ye walked for a while and suddenly saw a person standing in front of him. Just as he became wary,

But he found that the person looked very familiar; it was none other than his master, Lin Zheng.

He was worried about me, so he came out specifically to wait for me to leave Liu Xiucai's house.

My master was a traditional and somewhat old-fashioned old man. His mouth was like a poisoned knife, but his heart was truly the kindest.

Otherwise, how could they have taught such a virtuous Taoist master as their senior brother?

Upon seeing his second apprentice emerge, Lin Zheng immediately tightened his expression.

"When did you start hanging out with that pedantic scholar? If you want to study, go to the school. What good is that old scholar anyway?"

The master and Liu Xiucai were notoriously at odds, not because they had any grudges, but simply because they couldn't stand each other.

"Master, Mr. Liu had a bit too much to drink earlier. He told me that in this Goose City, no, the entire Nanhanyang area, the person he admires most is you. If we're talking about real skills and knowledge, only you and he are worthy of the title. He really admires you, saying that your understanding of the Pure Land Sutra is no less than that of those Maoshan masters."

It can only be said that Lin Zheng has heard flattery from others throughout his life.

But hearing these words from his usually rebellious second apprentice was something he truly hadn't expected, much less that Lin Ye was just trying to coax the old man.

At that moment, he raised an eyebrow and couldn't suppress the corner of his mouth as he glanced sideways at Lin Ye.

"Did that old man really say that?"

"Master, you never taught me to tell lies."

Lin Zheng nodded and said, "Although that old man is only a scholar, he was also dragged down by the times. Moreover, he is well-read and upright. It wouldn't hurt for you to go to him to learn some classics and broaden your horizons."

After saying that, he walked back to the mortuary with "light and cheerful" steps, ahead of the forestry department.

Watching his master's retreating figure, Lin Ye smiled and shook his head.

……

The next day, after having breakfast early, the three of them prepared to set off.

Sanbao is still young and has to help his older sister with chores, so he stays behind and comes to check on the mortuary when he has time.

Lin Ye took the master's cloth bag from his senior brother, and he also carried dry food and water.

Lin Hao felt a little guilty. His junior brother had been too sensible lately. It seemed that the human-faced sore was the dirty thing that was ruining his junior brother's temperament.

He then spoke to Lin Zheng, saying, "Master, A-Ye has been a disciple for almost ten years. Shouldn't you be passing on your skills to him by now? Junior Brother is growing up; he should learn something real."

Lin Zheng glanced at Lin Hao. His eldest disciple was soft-hearted and sentimental, and always doted on his two junior brothers.

But the transmission of the Dharma is no small matter.

Upon his return, Lin Ye had changed a great deal, even exceeding his expectations. But when it comes to passing on skills, it's not just about character, but also about temperament.

In this respect, my master suffered a great loss; otherwise, my lineage would not have ended up being expelled from Shangqing Maoshan.

So we'll have to wait and see before we start preaching about forestry.

Humanity and character are what he values ​​most.

Lin Ye, however, took it in stride. He advised, "Alright, senior brother, a day or two won't make a difference. I've been pondering the Mind-Monkey Form that Master told me about these past few days. I think I still need to practice the one you taught me for a long time."

The conversation ended there, and the three of them got ready to set off.

Qingshi Town is about forty li away from Wopan Gully below.

At that time, transportation was not very developed, and trains were only available in provincial capitals.

The only means of transportation between the towns and villages below are horse-drawn carriages and walking.

Today the sky is relatively clear and cloudless.

Walking through the woods, you can occasionally hear birds chirping.

The scenery and climate of Qingshi Town have always been good, which was why Lin Zheng chose to live in seclusion there.

But when they left the southern part of Qingshi Town and entered the Wopangou area, the air around them seemed to freeze.

Lin Ye has been practicing standing meditation recently, and he is most sensitive to changes in the surrounding "qi". He immediately opened his spiritual vision.

Looking back, the area in the direction of Qing Shi Town is picturesque with clear waters and lush mountains, and even faint signs of spiritual light.

But in front of the Wopan Gully, leaden clouds filled the sky above, while below, a fleeting red light shone in the air, as if one had entered a black-and-white silent film world from a colorful, transparent world.

Immediately, Lin Ye felt a sweet taste on his lips. It turned out that his spiritual vision had been overdrawn again, and his nose was bleeding.

(You suddenly convulse and activate [Spiritual Vision]. In this state, you discover something unusual ahead. In this polluted place, the more abnormal it is, the more extraordinary the opportunity it holds.)

(You were carrying a mysterious 'protective talisman' that helped you withstand one instance of the [Gaze of Calamity])

Huh? What kind of shelter?

Just then, Lin Ye heard a faint 'click' sound.