Chapter Twenty-Four The Second Inspection

  The second inspection of the young men from Yelan Town was conducted in the study room, where five Taoist priests seemed to take it lightly and chatted softly, fiddling with various ritual instruments, which made the young men feel tense.

  A robust, red-faced Taoist with a wispy beard emerged, his appearance being the exact opposite of intimidating. The Taoist's voice was very gentle, "Don't be tense, it's just a simple examination, it will be over soon and won't cause you any harm. All you need to do is relax, relax a bit more, yes, that's good."

  Zhang Lingsheng was also so kind at first, but Xia Qiu still had a sense of vigilance.

  The Taoists surrounded the nine young men, standing in five directions. First, they placed a bright mirror on their right shoulder, about level with the top of their hair knot, floating in mid-air and slightly vibrating up and down. Then they took out an oil lamp and placed it on their left shoulder, and there was also a copper bell hanging from their head. They didn't have any magic swords; each person held a two- or three-foot-long iron ruler in their hand.

  The entire inspection process was quick and simple. The five Taoist priests moved their lips, shook the iron ruler randomly, took a step to the left with one foot, crossed their legs, and then stepped out with the right foot, circling around in this way. The mirror, lamp, and bell followed the master as he moved, and when the five people returned to their original positions, the inspection was considered complete.

  The Taoists moved extremely quickly, and the magical instruments instantly disappeared. The red-faced Taoist spoke again, "You two cooperate very well, now you can leave, who are Mu Xingqiu and Qin Lingxue? You two need to stay a little longer."

  The boys' mood was still heavy, Shen Hao asked: "What's the result? Can you tell us?"

  "Don't worry, you'll know soon enough." The red-faced Taoist priest smiled encouragingly.

  The young men did not dare to ask, and they slipped out of the house one after another, waiting anxiously outside. Zhang Lingsheng, who was originally outside, stepped aside and came in, seeing Xiao Qiu being left behind, with a satisfied expression.

  The Taoists did not take out their magical instruments again, and four of them even turned around to casually flip through the books that Fangfang had tidied up. Only the red-faced Taoist walked in front of Xiao Qiu, gently patted his shoulder, "Have you gone to visit Mei Chuanan?"

  "Yes." Xia Qiu said stiffly, it had been several days since the incident, and he hadn't been abnormal with Fangfang at all, but the Taoist priests still wouldn't let go, which made him extremely indignant.

  Fang Fang stood beside Xiao Qiu and nodded silently.

  The smile on the face of the red-faced Taoist disappeared, and after a while he said, "Thank you."

  “……”

  Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang looked up in surprise, thinking they had misheard. Zhang Lingsheng, standing at the door, was even more shocked, interrupting: "Lin Dujiao, these two children left the residence without permission..."

  Hong Yan Daoshi Lin Du Jiao smiled again, "Ah, I still remember when I first came to Pong Mountain, I followed a few friends to visit the village, but didn't spare the chickens and ducks in the village. Looking back, it's really sorry for the villagers. Fortunately, I helped them with magic a few times later, which made up for it."

  "Lin Da Jiao" is the teacher who passed on the Gong Fa of Yang Shen Peak, Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang knew this, but neither of them expected that Lin Da Jiao would be so unorthodox, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Zhang Lingsheng's face suddenly turned red, he couldn't close his mouth or open it, and for a moment he was extremely embarrassed.

  "Life is born, cultivating Tao is nurturing one's nature, and you shouldn't be too strict with the children either."

  "Yes, you're right." Zhang Lingsheng replied in a low voice. As just a miscellaneous staff member at the foot of the mountain, he didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Douchu and lowered his head without making another sound.

  "Is Mei Chuan'an going to teach you another spell?"

  Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang nodded simultaneously, having heard too many reminders, they would no longer casually say those five words to anyone.

  "Just listen to this." Lin Duojiao said casually, as if it were a very ordinary thing, in stark contrast to Zhang Lingsheng and the villagers' serious defensive attitude. The four Taoist priests behind him also turned around, showing some curiosity.

  Zhang Lingsheng felt anxious and uneasy, regretting entering the study room, and had to force himself to interject: "Lin Doudiao, that's the crazy talk of a demon-possessed person."

  "If it's just nonsense, then there's no harm in listening. But if it has something to do with the Devil's language, then we should deal with it as soon as possible." Lin Duo insisted on his own views.

  Lin Duojiao's point of view was strongly agreed by Xiao Qiu, "Two days ago, Mei's grandmother also said the same thing, but the villagers didn't listen and drove her out of the village."

  "You are a disciple of Pong San, don't interfere with the villagers' affairs." Lin Du's tone was not severe, but had an unquestionable momentum, and he said to the two children in a gentle voice: "Recite the incantation."

  Xiao Qiu nodded and exchanged a glance with Fang Fang, simultaneously saying the five words "Wrong or weakly fall". At the moment the first word was spoken, Lin Daoyou raised his left arm, as if to swat at a mosquito, but his hand stopped in front of his chest, palm facing the two boys' mouths.

  The incantation was very short and the two of them were extremely familiar with it, so they recited it fluently and quickly, until they suddenly realized that their lips were moving but not a single sound came out.

  Zhang Lingsheng found something unusual and immediately took a step forward, extremely excited, like a hunting dog driving the beast in front of its master.

  Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang's faces also changed, they didn't understand what was going on.

  "Hmm." Lin Du taught him to clench his left fist and put it by his ear to listen for a while, nodding repeatedly.

  "How is it?" another Taoist asked.

  Lin Du Jiao put down his hands, patted them twice, and said to Zhang Ling Sheng behind the two children: "As I expected, this is indeed a meaningless madman's words. Mei Chuan An's demon obsession was cut off by the sect master and the head of the Forbidden Department in person, it is impossible to leave any aftermath, these five characters are just his last words before death, no effect and no threat, don't need to take it to heart."

  Zhang Lingsheng was greatly disappointed, "But after they went to the Mei family, they became a different person. The clumsy and stumbling Tiejiaquan he originally learned suddenly became effortless."

  "It's quite simple." Lin Doujiao looked down at the two children with a nod of approval and a hint of expectation, "Their Dao roots have finally been ignited, these two are just a bit earlier than others. Work hard, I'll see you on Mount Yangshen in November, you will become outstanding cultivators."

  The second examination has ended, and the young people of Ye Lin Town are overjoyed to learn that they no longer have to worry about their past experiences being invaded by demons. Like all the new arrivals, their Taoist roots are also genuine.

  Zhang Lingsheng was deeply disappointed, the five were all taught by him and he had finally managed to invite them from Yangshen Peak, but did not get the result he wanted. For several days after that, he tried his best not to appear in front of the young people of Yelin Town.

  Another result of this matter is that Xia Qiu and others are very popular among later generations.

  Not every ordinary person with a good root can be discovered by the Nine Great Paths in time. Most children, like those in Ye Lin Town, have only a very vague understanding of cultivation. Suddenly learning that they are different from others, that they can cultivate, learn spells, ride clouds and drive fog, cut demons and eliminate evil, their first reaction is to be bewildered, even frightened to the point of being stunned. They were brought to Jing Hu Village three or four months in advance just to get through this period of confusion.

  There are also some parents of children who are knowledgeable and know what the Taoist root is all about, so they make preparations for their children in advance. These children do not need to come to Jinghu Village ahead of time, but instead appear only in November.

  A few days later, another thing enhanced the advantageous position of the young man from Yelin Town.

  It was early August, and the nights had already begun to cool down a bit. The welcoming hostel was filled with more than 30 children, making it very lively. Every day, two more village women came to deliver food, and they were also responsible for sweeping the house and taking out the trash. The proud ones began to enjoy the benefits of having a Daoist root: they didn't have to do any idle chores, only focusing on practicing their fist techniques to make their bodies more suitable for cultivating Daoist methods.

  There is also a part of people who need to read and recognize characters.

  Fang Fang continued to play the role of Mr., and the number of students increased to sixteen or seventeen. After Dao Gen woke up, they learned very quickly. Even Xiao Qiu and Shen Jia's two brothers suddenly discovered that reading and writing were so easy, and it was unbelievable that they couldn't learn before.

  The children are of different ages, ranging from 6 or 7 to 13 or 14 years old. They were basically all sent directly by the Taoist priests from their hometowns to Jinghu Village without being accompanied by their parents. It wasn't until several days later that clothes and other items started arriving one after another.

  Every time they see the villagers sending in big and small packages, a child excitedly goes to greet them, the young people of Yelin Town will be touched, their mood becomes depressed, they have no home, their relatives are unknown, may have been killed by demons, relying on that little hope to make themselves look normal.

  That afternoon, four farmers from Jinghu Village each pushed a wheelbarrow full of packages, enough for every child in the orphanage to get at least one item. But they only called out one name: "Ershuang, Shen Ershuang, someone has brought you something."

  There was laughter in the crowd, Shen Hao's face turned red as he squeezed out, it had only been a month, and he was already somewhat unaccustomed to his former nickname. "Are they all mine? Who sent them?"

  Outsiders cannot enter Jinghu Village at will, and goods can only be delivered to the south entrance of the village, where they are handed over by villagers. A farmer smiled and said: "It's your uncle from Xijie City, he says that if you have time, go out of the village for a trip, he wants to see you."

  Shen Hao rushed out of the door and didn't return until dusk, his eyes were red and swollen, but a smile that couldn't be wiped off hung on his face.

  The children who have just arrived at Mirror Lake Village still have the habits of the mortal world, especially those who came a few months in advance are mostly from poor and remote villages. The news that Shen Hao is the son of a wealthy family spreads like wildfire, not only does Ah Zong follow him around again as his loyal follower, but even unfamiliar children have several of them following him every day.

  Shen Hao didn't become arrogant because of this, still treating the young men from Ye Lin Town as his best friends. He told them: "My uncle heard that I was selected to enter Pang Shan and set out from Xi Jie City to visit me. The journey is long and he doesn't know any magic, so he only arrived now. He inquired carefully and found out that although the Daoist priests of Pang Shan are not well-known, their status is actually very high, able to sit on an equal footing with the Fu Lu Shou masters of the Long Bin Hui. He told me to focus on my cultivation, and the future resurgence of the Shen family will depend entirely on my abilities."

  "Then I'll take care of it." Mu Fei Huang followed up with a shout.

  After the disappearance of Yelin Town, the nine surviving boys had a great confidence in the future for the first time.

  This was a carefree and pleasant period of time, with no demons closely pursuing them from behind. Their fist techniques and literacy progressed smoothly, and Zhang Lingshen rarely looked for trouble again. The children who came later regarded the nine as objects of envy.

  At the end of August, Jinghu Village welcomed another group of small Taoist practitioners. One of them had an even bigger entourage than Shen Hua. Before he arrived, his belongings did, and more than 30 adult men in the village went back and forth twice to transport all his goods to the temple.

  Three days later, amidst countless rumors and whispers, the host arrived, stepped through the gate of the mansion, scanned the crowd with his eyes, and finally landed on a few young men from Ye Lin Town. He raised his head, pointed at them with his right hand, and said, "Come here, let me pardon your crimes."

  (Collection needed, recommendation needed)