Chapter 70 The Little Taoist Priest "Oh dear, I must be possessed."...

[Beep, the "Human Food Bureau" instance storyline has finished loading. Maximum number of players for this round: nine]

The next timed match will begin abruptly with a scene jump, and all time cards and item packs will be available for viewing only by the host.

Before Master Jian could react, "Zhong Ding" seemed to have stopped moving, as if it were an AI.

Looking at the man's stiff face and his empty expression, which resembled a statue without eyes, Master Jian felt a sense of familiarity completely erased.

“Zhong Ding, are you... a player?” Jian Dieda’s wishful thinking got the better of him.

The man's mouth remained still: "..."

Instead of him speaking, the game's generic black text appeared on the panel.

"Hello."

“I am Zhong Ding, a native of Qingyang. My profession is a Taoist priest, responsible for guarding the family ancestral hall and the safety of the town. My only relative is my fifth uncle. Everyone else is a servant in my household. I cannot leave this place; this is my home.”

"Qingyang Town is my home."

"The Celestial Master and the Bell and Cauldron protect everyone."

Jian Dieda was completely devastated: What a... "My Home in Qingyang Town," is Big Brother trying to move countless ghosts and monsters?

But now that things have come to this, his feverish mind has completely cleared up.

So that's how it is. This really wasn't a real-life phone call; it was a non-existent horror game and mission.

The pseudo-human behavior of the bell and tripod makes it impossible for them to have any independent consciousness... The contrast between the antique atmosphere of the surrounding old buildings and the narrator's high-tech mechanical voice is particularly jarring.

The system convinced him, and Master Jian got back into character, opening his backpack to select the props for this round.

The Chinese-style panels, adorned with red firecrackers and intricate window decorations, are made of materials with a rural horror aesthetic.

A piece of Taoist peach wood that has never been blessed by a master craftsman.

[A bloody, sharp knife for butchering pork and nine iron hooks for hanging pig heads]

[A piece of cured pork belly, slicing and salting, hidden in an old woman's floral-patterned undershirt during a famine in an ancient village x8]

[A handful of dragon beard noodles given to a dissolute young widow by her lover]

[Four red steamed buns stained with the blood of death row inmates who were involved in a rebellion, taken from a busy street corner]

[Two pieces of a chipped rooster bowl and chopsticks, symbolizing that eating this dish will bring misfortune to the entire family and cause them to die without descendants this year]

[One white egg boiled in the urine of a village child for seven days, and one piece of brown sugar from a wedding night when the groom died of tuberculosis (this can be used to treat colds and illnesses in children by mixing the egg with hot water)]

[A damaged black and white photo of a couple in a ghost marriage, awaiting repair x1]

Master Jian has restored 60% of the sword's functionality.

The bells and tripods still cannot be moved.

He tapped the button to complete the task, and the narrator's voice, broadcasting the entire system, appeared in their ears.

Wrap yourself tightly in your blanket, brace yourself, and listen to the dense, blood-stained inscriptions on the walls of ancient temples.

Legend has it that in Qingyang Town, there is a place of auspicious geomancy called Cilonggou. Cilong means snake, or the precursor to a dragon. Based on superstition about dragon veins, the town's sorcerers have consulted ancient books and, for many years, have been performing secret rituals. As a result, the Cilong Temple has never ceased to be a place of worship. But only after peeling away the layers of deception from the gods can some strange things be seen through. Go and find them! The baby crying in the white porcelain plate and the inhuman-looking lump of flesh in the inn courtyard are waiting for you...

After this plot summary, Master Jian saw a dark figure pass by at the end of the corridor.

The shoes on its face made a thumping sound as it jumped.

He wasn't a folklore expert, but because of his creative work, he knew some strange Taoist sayings, such as "three gods and four ghosts." If he wasn't mistaken, the thing that kept following him to the well was dressed as a woman from the Qing Dynasty. Now, the world was the Republic of China era, so this humanoid monster that he couldn't look at was definitely something from fifty years ago or earlier.

Why aren't you saying anything? What are you looking at?

Zhong Ding found the young Taoist's "empty" expression strange, so he immediately took out a protective magic item and put it on the young man's finger without considering the consequences.

Master Jian quickly looked down at the panel and found that he couldn't put the thing away. He also didn't know its specific use in the strange world. "A gold ring?"

Zhong Ding pulled him away, "You're not allowed to pick them. As for Xiao Mei's matter, I need to think of a way, but what you said does have some suspicious points."

...

More and more doubts are emerging about the case.

There were many things to do tomorrow morning. It was only after being reminded by Master Zhong that Master Jian remembered that he was still being pursued by the government and had even been publicized as an adulterer.

"How could someone as upright as me be a womanizer?" Master Jian said with a stern face, clearly unhappy.

Zhong Ding teased him, "Oh, brother, you seem to have a bad memory."

Master Jian choked. After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell the truth: "I have only ever used your methods."

What he meant was, "I'm not casual, I'm loyal, and you're special." Unfortunately, he was destined to be blind to his own charm, because Master Zhong didn't understand his words at all, and the guy even laughed out loud with an indifferent and nonchalant tone.

"I see, virgin boy."

That's it?

hiss.

Master Jian fell silent upon hearing this. He had thought that by taking such a proactive approach, he could offer some warmth to Zhong Ding, a disabled person who lacked a close friend. He was also trying to show Zhong Ding that he was special, but the other person completely ignored him.

Come to think of it, how could someone like Zhong Ding, who satirizes and mocks himself in every word, possibly understand him?

Master Jian began to think that the little bald man's guide to seducing men was useless, and he should focus on solving the case and finding clues instead.

After a while, the two returned from the abandoned courtyard that had been haunted, only to run into Sister Lanlan, who had once again prepared extra dishes for the master and the fool in the middle of the night. So the three of them sat down to eat together. Sister Lanlan had no idea that the two of them had just been arguing. She smiled and opened the food box, bringing out steamed silverfish, steamed glutinous rice balls with ham, and a large bowl of shrimp, eel, and scallion porridge.

Master Jian wolfed down his food and asked, "Are you eating so well?"

KFC and McDonald's don't offer the comforting and stomach-warming experience of Chinese home-style cooking.

The chef at Master Zhong's house is very particular; he even made the heart of the vegetables in the white porcelain plate into the shape of a rose from Western culture, aiming for a style that is neither too traditional nor too Western.

Lanlan pouted, thinking that this stupid Taoist priest's brain was completely clueless about love, and she was speechless at his country bumpkin's appetite: "Eat slowly! Even the farmers in the fields don't eat like you! But what are you saying? Pshaw! What's this! Don't you know who my master is? Hmph, and if someone can eat so much, I might as well fatten you up and send you to the mountain god to eat."

An uncomfortable gurgling sensation immediately rose in my throat.

Master Jian's appetite for exploring this terrifying world suddenly vanished, his mind filled with the wicked worship rituals updated in the system.

After all, based on his preliminary intelligence analysis in Qingyang Town, the food and supplies hidden in the ancient village were very likely the kind of... creatures that would scare children to death if told.

So, could the little girl from last night be some kind of deity whose divine power has been gradually weakened by the evolution of local customs, turning into an evil god residing behind the fig leaf of the ancestral hall?

He was curious whether Zhong Ding knew anything about the locals' daily incense offerings. He also felt that since the men of the family had dedicated their clan's bloodline to the belief in the gods and paid so much attention to incense offerings, Zhong Ding must know that the villagers were secretly neglecting the mountain god.

Lanlan didn't care. She grabbed her chopsticks and poked open the oily white belly of the fish, then scooped out its eyes. He could only think to himself, "Sister, can you please let me go? The mountain god of your Qingyang Town really eats people. Can we just skip this topic when we eat our normal meal?"

"Lanlan, don't bother him," Zhong Ding said soothingly, picking up a pair of chopsticks and serving food to someone next to him in a refined manner. "You, have some porridge to fill your stomach first. I'll slowly pick out the fish bones for you. It's not good to eat too much at night. I've taken away those coarse noodles. I heard there are mice in the kitchen recently, so let them eat them."

Master Jian's stomach rumbled as soon as he heard it. Instead of only thinking of himself, he put himself in others' shoes and said, "I'll serve you some porridge."

Zhong Ding lowered his head, tilted it slightly, and chuckled, but said nothing. These two were just secretly enjoying themselves in a somewhat awkward way.

Seeing this, Lanlan put her face on the table and looked at their simmering expressions, saying, "Master, you two... cough cough, do you want to take a bath together tonight? I'll go and have Ah Da prepare water for you!"

The excellent question from their own daughter left both Mr. Zhong and Jian Dieda, this shameless duo, speechless.

After what just happened, they agreed to go to the government tomorrow to visit Xiaomei in prison, but to complete this process, they need Fifth Master's help.

Ah Da is the manager on Fifth Master's side. In the current situation, it's best to let an old feudal elder continue to believe that Master Zhong and Jian Dieda are truly devoted lovers. Otherwise, why would anyone agree to it so easily?

Zhong Ding then nodded and went along with the arrangement that they would take a bath together in the room. He also instructed Lanlan to bring some incense, writing brushes, ink, and fresh flowers.

Lanlan covered her mouth and chuckled to herself. The little girl, who was overjoyed, immediately began making preparations.

After she left, the two of them remained silent. But then again, Master Jian knew that the most troublesome person about staying overnight was Master Zhong. You see, if it weren't for that misunderstanding at the beginning, Master Zhong and Master Jian would not have been on the same side at all. If it had been Fu Rongdan and her group from the beginning who encountered what happened that night, would Master Zhong have been unable to refuse?

You can't make assumptions. It's pointless. And it's easy to feel uncomfortable. After Lanlan left, Master Jian, who was eating in silence, kept thinking about this problem. His expression wasn't obvious, but the whole room was filled with a kind of mental and physical torment, like being tickled by a rake.

Zhong Ding caught a glimpse of something unusual from his silent expression and said, "Don't want to talk to me again? Just pretending to take a bath."

Master Jian remained silent.

Zhong Ding was right; they were lying. Given their completely different stances, Jian Burang should be relieved. After all, he was playing the role of a Taoist priest. The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. If a demon hunter were to indulge in pleasure, he would be letting down the Supreme Celestial Venerable of the Three Pure Ones Palace. So he responded with a hum.

The young Taoist priest was unaware that the unusual sound caused by his hoarse voice was remarkably similar to the moans he had heard in the Celestial Master's arms that night.

The two were already sitting very close to each other.

The room had become increasingly hot and stuffy without anyone noticing. The moonlight on the windowsill was beautiful, and the warmth shining down on my temples and ears was ambiguous.

Zhong Ding smiled faintly, rested his eyes as if to rest his forehead, and looked at the young Taoist priest with a helpless expression, flicking his forehead with his finger.

"Oh dear, the peony is blooming with dewdrops."

Master Zhong has started to be possessed by evil spirits again; he has begun to enjoy the tender feelings of mutual longing and affection he shares with Master Jian.

"Fish and water must live in harmony."

"..."

"It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride."

"..."

"A thousand years of cultivation... wait, what's next?"

"You frivolous scoundrel!" the young Taoist priest accused him with a chilling expression.

Hahahaha, hahahaha, hahaha!

With a beaming smile, Zhong Ding immediately embraced him, pressed his nice-feeling fingers against his heart, and then ordered the young Taoist to follow his instructions. As if playing a game of marital intimacy, he slid the two of their intertwined fingers onto the long-haired man's broken legs, giving him a little help.

"I'm done playing. Give me another massage. It's getting late, let's all go to sleep."

Master Jian went through the motions and then had him press his fingers against his knees.

Since the cripple's fighting ability is poor anyway, he's not afraid of the endless spring pleasures of the night of the mimosa flowers happening again.

If he could observe a person's eyes carefully, he would have discovered that Master Zhong's shallow and affectionate heart had long since turned towards the man as delicate as green bamboo. He was like a crimson maple, and the other like a verdant bamboo; how could their lives possibly accommodate anyone else?

It was a close call, but we arrived the next day without any major incident.

It was the tenth year of the Republic of China, in the ancient town of Qingyang. Dawn was breaking, and two hands were folded together on the bed. The master was helping the Taoist priest change his gold rings and supporting him as he lay on the embroidered bed in the warm pavilion.

The little maid knocked on the door, but no one answered. She said loudly, "Master, Fifth Master has come to discuss important matters." After Zhong Ding learned of this, he began to prepare for a reinvestigation of the Mountain God's murder. The things that Master Jian had encountered earlier were also described by him in a way that seemed to have no flaws.

He said he had wanted to come to Qingyang Town for several years. The peach wood sword was a demon-catching magic weapon passed down by his master, Daoist Shou Kang. Before this mission began, he found four "fellow travelers," but all five of them were robbed by a group of bandits on the way and later got separated. Fortunately, they have now made contact again. If Zhong Ding is willing to lend a hand, together with Fu Rongdan and the other two, the nine sects of Xuanmen can regroup.

At this point, Fifth Master finally understood the story. Zhong Ding also quickly received the news; the other seven had already come knocking on his door.

After several rounds of the game, Jian Dieda noticed that all four players had ID names above their heads. The female warrior, Furong, was accompanied by two male followers. She wore a bamboo hat typical of those who travel the martial arts world and a pink vest-style woolen cloak, clearly demonstrating her professionalism as a practitioner of Qimen Dunjia (a form of divination and divination).

Jian Dieda had made the others search for a long time, and now everyone finally knew why they couldn't find him. Furongdan, who was originally simple-minded and straightforward, immediately overthought things. She sighed that Jian Dieda was much braver and more resourceful than Bai Xiaosheng and the others. The other party must have known in advance who was difficult to deal with, which is why he came to Zhongding's family to negotiate face-to-face.

Jian Dieda exchanged clues with her and approached her to tell the others, "Miss Furong, we need Xiaomei to tell us more of the truth. Zhongding has agreed to investigate the Cilonggou incident, and the government will not harm her."

Zhong Ding, abandoning his usual gentle and indifferent demeanor, looked up at Bai Xiaosheng and the others and said, "But I have difficulty moving around, and I need your understanding."

"It's no trouble at all, we're the ones who have troubled you, sir!" Bai Xiaosheng said very politely. "By the way, there are three locations in Cilonggou that are related to the murder case. We don't have the assistance of the government here. Is it possible for us to leave the city and go into the mountains?"

Just then, Ah Da returned with news that Zhao Laosi from the government was willing to make an exception. They could use bail money to get Xiao Mei everything she had in town. Then they would go together to investigate who the powerful killer was, with the constables also acting as backup.

Master Jian understood that this was all because of someone else's influence. Now that things had come to this, he had made up his mind that he had to get through this with the nine people. It was just strange, though. Zhong Ding was really in a low mood today. Apart from him, no one else had ever seen Master Zhong smile.

That's what everyone thought. They felt that Zhong Ding was indeed a gloomy person, all show and no substance, and difficult to get along with.

Everything that happened last night, including the strange dry well in a corner of the Zhong family's spacious courtyard, was brought into the sunlight. Now everyone was gathered around to watch. The fog had dissipated, and the space at the bottom of the well was quite large. Fifth Master said that it was no longer certain whether there was a water ghost at the bottom, but there had never been a drowning incident involving a female member of the Zhong family in all these generations.

If that were true, the Zhong family would have already taken steps to resolve it.

Master Jian was skeptical. After looking at the panel, he decided to mark the well and then opened the rulebook for the next level.

[Red and White Wedding Feast Village Instance (Nine-Player Confinement Room)]

[Enter the scene: Gao Laozhuang Slaughterhouse on Cilongpo]

[Individual Task: Perform a basic Taoist ritual with your teammates to find out the strange reason why Xiaomei's first husband, Sun Youfu, was possessed before his death]

[Requirements to unlock: a bloody dagger for butchering pork and 9 iron hooks for hanging pig heads]

[Ding, now playing an audio clip of Sun Youfu: "Oh, I died so tragically. On March 3rd this year, Xiaomei said she had a toothache, so I ran to Li Shizhen's pharmacy in the next county to get medicine. But I accidentally forgot that this day was an inauspicious day according to Qingyang customs. So I didn't pass by Cilonggou until late at night. I first saw a lot of yellow paper ingots and boiled pork, and then I bumped into that thing standing there in front of me."]

["The old man said that even if you see this thing, you can't speak, you can't cry or laugh. I did as he said, and I forced myself to get home despite my fear. But when I got to my doorstep, wait a minute, guess what I saw?"]

[“I actually saw my own shadow already at home. Xiaomei and I were both reflected on the window. My wife was still calling that thing, ‘husband.’”]

"Oh dear, I must be possessed by an evil spirit."

"Please help me investigate this terrible thing, otherwise I won't be at peace even if I die."

After listening to the deceased's words and confirming that the items for all nine missions were the same, Jian Dieda clicked "send," and everyone in the team immediately received the luggage bag.

Having decided to go and capture the demon, the servants began to busy themselves, bringing over cooked pork leg meat and offerings that had already been spoiled by the plot. Fifth Master had prepared a meal and incense money for them to use when they went into the mountains to worship the gods. Everyone sat at the host's table, and this was their first real meeting as teammates.

This is a dungeon that combines players and NPCs. The first time you enter, there is a clear danger to your life. It's not some simple single-player game.

Master Jian excelled at both tasks, which was originally quite challenging. Because he was expressionless, he only needed to keep his expression intact to convincingly portray the aloof and handsome young Taoist.

But before he could even celebrate, the downside of having two accounts spying on each other at the same time became apparent, because the bald guy told him that from now on he would have to do double the tasks simultaneously.

That is, 1. The storyline involving the affection level of four NPCs (Furong Dan, Bai Xiaosheng, Gu Dong Zhang, and Zhong Tianshi).

2. The four players are guided through the main storyline.

Bald Guy: "Congratulations, host! You are the first human to achieve this amazing feat since the start of this game."

In order not to provoke Master Jian's personal resentment, it even sent screenshots of the chat history of the four players from the previous night to its own people.

[Japanese Illusionist - Player Lao Zhang]:

"...Phew, that GM host is gone. By the way, have you guys heard of him? Isn't he the one who deliberately wiped out the entire team in the Chongli University dungeon...?"

【Nun - Player Deer】:

"It's him."

"I heard that if you're teammates with him, you'll be killed and used as fodder to complete the game. Luckily, he's made it clear this time that he won't use us as stepping stones in the game. I don't want to be turned into a specimen, have my hands and feet chopped off, and soaked in formaldehyde."

Master Jian coughed up three liters of blood: "..."

Did he clear the Chongli University instance like this?

Who exactly is spreading rumors within the system?

-----------------------

Author's Note: Touched by the spirit master Zhong and the specimen expert Master Jian, haha.