Chapter 29 Discovery

  Although the dream of last night was very strange, the shopkeeper was still half-believing and half-doubting, and could only instruct his wife not to spread it outside.

  The business still had to go on, and he came to Fang Ming's house, knocked on the door and said: "Did you sleep well last night, sir? Is there anything I can do for you?"

  He asked two questions and got no response, the shopkeeper's heart felt uneasy, he suddenly pushed the door hard, it was unlocked, and it opened with a push.

  The room was empty, with no one inside. On the table, however, were two things. One was a silver ingot, which the shopkeeper picked up and weighed in his hand, about two taels. He couldn't help but smile. The other thing was a carved statue of a young official, wearing an eighth-rank official uniform, with a dignified demeanor. It looked exactly like the one he had seen last night, and he let out a cry of surprise, dropping the silver ingot to the ground.

  The woman heard the noise and came up to take a look, also letting out a cry of surprise. She exchanged a glance with the shopkeeper for half a moment, then said: "This is strange, we'd better... report it to the authorities!"

  The shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat, and he shook his head fiercely, saying: "If we report to the officials, things will get out of hand, and no one knows what the outcome will be. Moreover, these two taels of silver are definitely not going to be kept safe. I think it's better to wait for now. I'll hide this wooden carving, and you don't tell anyone..."

  When the shopkeeper saw the old woman nod, he found a piece of cloth to wrap the idol in and placed it in the storage room. Just as he was about to close the door, he remembered the god's words from last night that it could grant children, and his eyes had an unusual glimmer.

  At this time, Fang Ming had already left the city, looking towards the north of the city, and smiled with satisfaction. He deliberately put the god statue and silver together, intending to make the shopkeeper greedy and keep the god statue.

  As long as there is a deity in the city and there are believers praying silently, the principal deity can exert its divine power through the deity image and faith line, pulling the residents of the city into a dream.

  Although doing so is a losing business, every day the Dreamwalker's Divine Ability is exercised, and fine wine and delicacies must be conjured up, requiring no small amount of divine power. Moreover, it's not enough to just pull followers into the dream realm, but also expand the scope and attract faith, the daily required divine power is by no means a small number.

  But as long as they don't spare their divine power, the followers in the city will gradually increase, and there will be effects at that time.

  The purpose of this trip into the city has been achieved. However, I need to hurry back as soon as possible, otherwise, my divine consciousness will automatically disperse and I don't know what consequences it will bring.

  He was displaying his divine ability of dividing his soul and attaching it to another body yesterday afternoon, now it's still early morning on the second day, twelve periods haven't passed yet, there is still time, return to Qing Shan village to rest.

  Words cut both ways.

  Two days ago, Zhang Guan's family rode a fast horse, rushing slowly, and finally entered the county town before the city gate closed.

  After entering the city, Zhang Guan's family first prepared some gifts and carried them on horseback. He then led the horse to the front of the White Water Temple and told a Daoist boy his intention, and was invited to wait in a side room.

  Before long, an old Taoist with a white beard came in, with a dignified and elegant demeanor. He was the same old Taoist that Fang Ming had met before. He bowed his head and said: "Mr. Zhang, it's been a long time since we last met. I've also heard about your family's situation. Alas! Your father, Zhang Li Zheng, was a devout believer of our sect and had a good affinity with me. Life is impermanent, and unexpectedly, after parting ways last time, I received news of his passing away. I was thinking of finding a chance to pay my respects, but didn't expect you to come."

  Zhang Guan's family also paid their respects, saying: "The old master often praised Daozhang for his virtues and high morals, and he was very respectful of his in-depth research on Xuanxue!" It turned out that this old Taoist was none other than Baihe Daozhang.

  The face of the White Crane seemed even more ruddy, and he invited Zhang to sit down. A young Taoist brought in tea and pastries, and after a few polite exchanges, Zhang presented his gift and explained his purpose.

  "...That's what happened, my wife is afraid that the old master was secretly calculated by the gods, and also worried that Qingxi Village would bring wolves into the house, so she invited the Taoist priest to go and take a look, hoping you won't decline..."

  The White Crane Taoist stroked his pure white beard and said, "This matter should originally be under the jurisdiction of the Forbidden Ghost Department. I'm afraid I can't take on this task." Seeing Zhang's anxious face, he continued in a calm tone, "However, Zhang is my closest friend, how could I watch him end up in such a predicament without lending a hand? Don't worry, I'll accompany you there tomorrow morning!"

  Without thanking Zhang Guan's family for their kindness, Tongzi had them move out of the room and let Zhang Guan's family live there instead, then bid farewell and left.

  He is actually a disciple of the outer door of Baiyun Temple, who was ordered to come to Anchang County to take care of Dao Guan.

  He was originally responsible for investigating the deficiencies of the Forbidden Ghost Cao, and he also had a channel to secretly report to the sect. After Lingzhu supported Linjiang Prefecture, he became the person in charge of Baiyun Temple here. A few days ago, he received news that the ancestral spirit of Qingxi Village had dissipated, and he had already intended to go and check it out. This matter was just a matter of course!

  On the second day, Zhang Guan's family was about to set off early, but Bai He Dao Ren was neither slow nor hurried. First, he tidied up his Taoist robe and then ordered a young Taoist apprentice to call for an ox cart to come over before they departed. The ox cart moved slowly and steadily until they arrived at Qingxi Village, where it was already noon.

  Bai He Dao Ren, although his Taoist practice is shallow, knows some secrets. Whether it's a fierce ghost or an evil spirit, they all prefer cool and shady places. Now it's noon, the yang energy is strong, although it won't cause much harm to evil spirits, it's not very comfortable for them either. They won't specifically choose this time to haunt, as long as he doesn't enter the dark and damp areas of the old mansion, or the deep mountains and ancient forests, he can be safe from harm.

  They arrived at the Zhang's house, and Mrs. Zhang had been waiting eagerly for a long time. After exchanging greetings, they chatted for a while before Mrs. Zhang led White Crane to the mourning hall. White Crane gazed at the memorial tablet of the deceased, sighed repeatedly, stepped forward to pay respects with three bows, lit incense sticks, and began reciting the Taoist mantra for liberation to pray for blessings for Zhang Huai Zheng. Mrs. Zhang tearfully thanked him.

  It was only then that they could enter the main topic, Zhang led the White Crane to the mourning hall and ordered someone to open the door. Seeing Zhang Huai Zheng's body again, he was overcome with grief, letting Zhang Guan Jia accompany him, while he himself went out first.

  The white crane carefully observed and muttered to himself: "It's really strange, the residual anger is not caused by an evil spirit. Could it be some kind of unusual demon? No, my talisman didn't react either. I once gave Zhang Huai Zheng a face reading, although I couldn't see his lifespan, but he was physically healthy and definitely wouldn't die so early. How could he have suffered internal injuries for no reason? Could it be...?"

  He then said to Zhang Guan's family on one side: "First take me to the Zhang family to have a look, and then lead me around the Land Temple!"

  Zhang Guan nodded in agreement and took Bai He with him. They first strolled around the Zhang's house, then came to the edge of the land temple.

  The white crane looked around, saw no pedestrians, and took out a yellow talisman, saying: "This is the secret transmission of my school's aura symbol. As long as there is ghost energy or demon energy around, it will show abnormal signs!"

  He stuck the talisman on the wall and waited for half a moment, but there was no response.

  The White Crane shook his head, took off the talisman, turned around and left. Zhang's steward was confused but still followed him. The White Crane arrived at the Zhang residence and bid farewell to Mrs. Zhang. Despite her attempts to persuade him to stay, he had to leave. She then presented him with five taels of silver and sent Zhang's steward to escort him back. The White Crane smiled and said, "This steward is a kindred spirit with me, let him see me off!" Mrs. Zhang agreed.

  Two men got on the ox cart and were sent to the outskirts of the countryside. Zhang Guan Jia opened his mouth, saying: "Dao Chang, I'll send you off here..." Just as he was about to bid farewell, his hand was tightly grasped by Bai He. Zhang Guan Jia was a shrewd old man and knew something was amiss, so he didn't speak again along the way. The group entered the county town.

  As soon as they entered the city gate, Bai He Dao let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Zhang Guan Jia, who was watching from the side, felt uneasy.

  The White Crane comforted him, saying: "Alright, are you confused? Listen to me and I'll explain it to you."

  Zhang Guan said: "Just about to ask the Taoist priest for guidance!"

  "When I entered Qingxi Village, I didn't find anything unusual. But when I arrived at the Zhang's house, I discovered something was off. It seems to have signs of ghostly cultivation." White Crane saw that Zhang Guan was puzzled and explained: "What is meant by 'ghostly cultivation' is that after a person dies, they become a ghost. If they obtain the method of nourishing and refining their energy, and find a suitable yin location for bitter practice, they can exist for a long time with great power."

  "I observe that your family's old master has no wounds on his body, nor did he have any illness before, yet he died suddenly with internal injuries. There must be something strange going on. Upon closer inspection, I found that there are spiritual energy traces in your study. The nature of this spiritual energy is yin, and it doesn't belong to a living person. It's certain that some kind of ghost or spirit has been here."

  "Something's happened to your old man in the study, heh heh... finally showing his true colors!"

  Zhang Guan suddenly realized and said: "The one who secretly harmed our family's old master is that what kind of ghost?"

  The white crane stroked his whiskers and said, "Eight or nine out of ten, but when I wanted to make a breakthrough, I found that there were still ghostly cultivators around the Zhang family, afraid they haven't left, and are investigating information."

  Zhang Guan's family was shocked and said: "This... how can it be good? What about my wife..."

  The White Crane said, "That's why I didn't say anything at the time and just pretended to have gained nothing. Now that you and I have entered the city, there is a human aura and a protective barrier around it, so ordinary ghost cultivators can't get in, so we can talk freely!"

  Zhang Guan's face turned pale with sweat as he said, "The Taoist priest is wise and powerful. I beg of you, sir, to save us!" As he spoke, he knelt down in the carriage and knocked his head against the floor with a loud thud.

  Bai He smiled and said, "I think that ghost will not harm you again. If you are still worried, you can find a reason to live in the city. I'll report this matter to the sect first, and then go back later."

  Zhang Guan's face finally showed some joy, and he thanked him and left.

  The white crane returned to the Taoist temple, but instead came to the study, spread out white paper, and carefully wrote some messages, detailing everything that had happened in Qingxi Village. At the end, he also appended his own discoveries and views.

  Having finished writing, he blew on the ink and examined it carefully. Finding no mistakes, he called over a young servant and said, "Go fetch the bluebird that is being raised in the garden at the back!"

  "Oh...huh? Qing Niao? Master, we haven't used Qing Niao since we arrived in An Chang County, what's going on?" Dao Tong asked with a start.

  "Alas... something big has happened, and Elder Lingzhu is not around. We are at a loss for what to do, and can only notify the sect!" The old Daoist sighed, saying this. He was a middle-aged man who had been discovered by a high-ranking member of the White Cloud Temple's Lingzi generation and taken in as an outer disciple, making him a fourth-generation disciple, also known as Elder Lingzhu.

  The child heard this and didn't ask any more questions. He went out for a short while, then brought back a big blue bird that was about the size of a rooster, which was very obedient.

  The white crane tied the letter to the leg of the blue bird, took out a yellow pill from his bosom and fed it into the beak of the blue bird. The blue bird let out a long cry, looking very pleased.

  The white crane patted the head of the blue bird and said: "Deliver it to the master's door!"

  That blue bird seemed to have a spiritual nature and appeared to understand, spreading its wings and flying out of the window.

  Thank you for collecting and recommending books from all book friends, as well as the rewards from Gaopaoer who understands me, thank you!