The midday sun was pleasant, shining through the gaps between the trees. Lu Liangsheng watched the cicadas breaking out of the soil and climbing up the tree trunks. At the same time, in the side courtyard of the government office, in a row of rooms where official business was handled, runners were coming and going. In a closed room, the slightly plump prefect personally poured tea and carefully brought it to the table opposite.
"Old sir, please have some tea."
"Well, leave it there." Wang Banxia stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, there is no need to be polite. Saving people is what we cultivators do. The evil ghost died of resentment. It's a pity that we couldn't kill him immediately. If we delay for a long time, his Taoism will surely increase greatly, and your Excellency will be in danger of his life."
"Old sir, this government only learned about this recently."
The prefect put down the teacup, glanced at the closed doors and windows, changed his previous expression, and pressed the desk anxiously.
"Two days ago, I found a wandering Taoist priest who knows some Taoist methods of catching ghosts and exorcising demons. He said it's easy..."
"oh?"
Wang Banxia's heart skipped a beat, but his expression did not change. He stretched out his hand and counted on his fingers, thinking: Oh my god, why is this happening? Doesn't that mean Li Yishu will be taken in by the wandering Taoist
… I have to tell the master.
He had seen countless people who acted hypocritically in Fushui County. The prefect's behavior, even if he didn't say it out loud, was almost an admission of murder.
He thought for a moment, stopped counting with his fingers, and chuckled twice.
"Easy? I observed the sky at night and saw that there were stars above Yancheng yesterday that seemed to be falling. How could that ghost represent the stars? It must be an important person. Then, who do you think the falling stars represent?"
this…
The prefect clenched his hands, pressed hard on the table, clenched his teeth, and suddenly walked outside the table and bowed to the old man.
"Please save me, old man."
"Haha, no problem, bring me some pen and ink."
Wang Banxia took the brush and ink, stared at the wall, and used the brush in his hand to casually draw an indistinguishable word "Chi" on the paper.
"Put it on you, and I'll come back later."
After saying that, he stood up and walked out. The prefect looked at the paper with talismans in his hand and hurriedly chased after him: "Old sir, will this thing work? Why don't you stay in the mansion? If you need to prepare anything for the ritual, I will send someone to take care of it."
“Hehe.”
Wang Banxia opened the door and walked outside, his eyes half closed and his face slightly tilted: "You can't find the things I use."
He was leaning on a cane and walking briskly, as if he was no longer an old man. In the blink of an eye, he turned the archway of the side yard. A camphor tree swayed for a moment, and then no sound was heard.
The prefect held the 'talisman paper' in his hands and sighed, "What a master." He then restrained his expression, straightened his back, and went back to the room with his hands behind his back. As he walked away, the camphor tree was still shaking.
Turning left through the archway, Wang Banxia squatted on the ground rubbing his forehead, not daring to make a sound. Only when he felt that there was no one around did he let out a tiny cry of pain. While rubbing his forehead, he walked out of the courtyard, took the reins from the yamen runner, led the old donkey, and followed the master's aura to the street corner, where he sensed a figure standing with his hands behind his back.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Master."
"how's it going?"
"The prefect is guilty and double-faced."
Lu Liangsheng pursed his lips, stopped talking, took the reins from Banxia's hands, and walked aimlessly on the street, looking at the noisy passers-by around him.
"Mr. Lu!"
A familiar voice came from above the tavern on the side of the street. Wang Banxia called softly, "Master, someone is calling you."
The scholar who was walking in front and thinking about something stopped and looked up. Zuo Zhengyang was sitting by the fence on the second floor of the tavern, holding a wine jug and waving at him.
The waiter at the door of the tavern hurriedly greeted the scholar, skillfully took the reins from the other's hand, and shouted inside.
"Please come in, gentlemen. What would you like to drink?"
"There's a seat available."
Lu Liangsheng pointed upstairs, thanked the waiter, and took Wang Banxia to the second floor. Upstairs, there were several tables of guests. They were dressed like martial artists, with weapons placed at the foot of the table. Some were silent, some were vigilant. He saw a scholar and an old man, who did not seem to have any martial arts skills. They held up cups and smiled grimly.
"Isn't Qianwei competing?"
Lu Liangsheng took the wine glass handed to him, sat opposite and took a sip, then asked without caring about the malicious looks around him.
"Why are you drinking here?"
Zuo Zhengyang took a sip from the narrow-necked wine jug, glanced at the surrounding tables, and laughed: "Today is the fourth day of the New Year."
These words made the scholar stunned for a moment, and then he remembered that he had stayed in Wanhe County for several days, which delayed his trip to Qingcheng Mountain, but he just happened to catch up here.
"Has Mr. Lu's business been settled?" Zuo Zhengyang put down the wine jug and asked.
"Not really, but since I'm here, I might as well see how Qian Wei and the swordsman with the surname Xiahou compare."
"Okay, it's almost time. Zuo will lead the way!"
The two men drank a cup, chatted and laughed, and then went downstairs and walked out of the tavern together. The original few martial artists also picked up their weapons and followed them. Some of them directly jumped over the two of them, used their light body skills to climb up the buildings, stepped on the roofs of people's houses, and flew to an open space in the city.
As if he was going to report something.
Soon, Lu Liangsheng followed Zuo Zhengyang here. In an open area, they drove eight wooden stakes more than ten feet high into the ground. The area was filled with gangsters, holding grass roots in their mouths, carrying weapons, chatting and laughing with people. When they saw Zuo Zhengyang and Lu Liangsheng coming over, they spat out the grass roots and couldn't help but chuckle.
"And brought a helper."
"He's a scholar. He looks weak, but he dares to come here."
"Haha, I really want to see the scholar's expression when he sees the blood splattering. I hope he will pee his pants out of fear."
"Hahaha!"
Amid the noise and laughter, someone shouted to Lu Liangsheng who was leading the old donkey.
"Go home and hug your mother. Be careful later and don't get scared!"
Lu Liangsheng seemed not to hear him and bowed to him with a smile. The man wanted to shout again, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was a strange cry of "Uh uh uh ah ah..." He pointed at his throat and gestured to his companions next to him.
His companions thought he was joking and laughed even more happily.
However, there were not many noises of laughter and ridicule. Some people still held a cautious attitude. After all, there were still some people in the martial arts world, with fluttering robes and seemingly weak swordsmen. Some people looked at the long sword hanging on the bookshelf behind the scholar and nodded as if their guess was confirmed.
"Mr. Lu, you don't need to worry about these gangsters. Many of them are just like Zuo in the past. Few people know about the cultivators in the world."
"That's fine, Qianwei can go and fight on his own."
Lu Liangsheng found a seat and sat down. He glanced at a square-faced man wearing a black tall hat and covering one eye who was standing opposite the eight wooden stakes. He stopped talking and asked Wang Banxia to bring the bookshelf and unfold the scroll as if he was going to paint here.
"Mr. Lu, please make Zuo look better."
Zuo Zhengyang laughed and took the long knife behind him and stabbed it into the ground. He held the other knife in one hand, jumped over to the wooden stake, stomped on it with one foot, split open the other leg and hooked the second wooden stake, then held the knife in one hand and crossed the middle.
"Zuo Mou's knife is enough."
Striking this posture also made it easier for himself to be painted as wise and mighty. However, Lu Liangsheng, who was sitting over there, sharpened the ink and picked up his brush to draw on the paper. What he started to draw was the building of the government office here.
A series of strokes drew out the dark clouds.
"Hey, why is the sky cloudy?"
On a bright sunny day, in the empty arena where the competition was taking place, a huge cloud slowly blocked out the sunlight, and the huge shadow it formed covered half of the city.
Obstructing people's vision.