Twenty-one
Wangshui County had already been in chaos because of this so-called "monster". Yunqi didn't notice it at first. There were very few people on the street. Maybe there were only a few people gathered around the notice, and they were just waiting for the "savior" to appear.
"Is that the Demon Subduing Platform?" Yun Qi saw from afar an open space with several pillars standing there, but it no longer looked like a "platform".
"That's right," the yamen runner replied. "Originally, this demon-subduing platform was almost finished, but after that Taoist priest ran away, the people tore it down, and now only these few pieces of wood are left."
The bailiff followed Yun Qi to the demon-subduing platform. Yun Qi ran his fingers across the wooden pillar standing there, and a thin layer of dust was smeared on his fingertips.
Yun Qi glanced down, then looked back at him: "What did the Taoist priest say to your county magistrate at that time?"
The yamen runner replied, "I wasn't there at the time. I just heard it from others..." Yun Qi had a feeling that he subconsciously lowered his voice when he continued, "It was said that this Taoist priest told the county magistrate that the Demon Subduing Platform was just a superficial measure, mainly to stabilize the people's hearts, and it was useless for anything else."
"Do many people know about this?" Yun Qi asked.
The yamen runner thought for a moment and said, "I don't know... because we've never gathered to discuss this, but I imagine it's quite a lot."
"Do you know who was present when your county magistrate was talking with that Taoist priest?"
The yamen runner Yaoyao nodded, "Others may not know, but Mr. Baiyi is definitely here. However, this is just my guess. After all, he is the county magistrate's most trusted person. How could he not be here to discuss such an important matter?"
It is really possible that he is not here. Yun Qi recalled how Bai Yi had just driven him away from the yamen, and he deliberately used the Demon Subduing Platform to preach, which shows that he really thought the Demon Subduing Platform was used to subdue demons.
But even the yamen runner knew about it, but he didn't hear a single whisper about it, which was very strange.
Accustomed to pretending, Yun Qi began to stroke his beard while thinking, and he really looked like an immortal.
He stared at the Demon Subduing Platform for a long time without saying a word. The yamen runner next to him glanced at him several times, "Master, do you think there are really monsters in Wangshui County?"
Yun Qi paused for a moment while stroking his beard, then put it down and said, "I can only say, yes."
The bailiff's expression changed slightly, "But Mr. Baiyi said..."
"Just because you haven't seen something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It's a pity for the Demon Subduing Platform. If it had been completed, perhaps Wangshui County would not be in this state anymore."
"Is it really impossible that there is another reason..."
When Yunqi heard this, he turned his head and looked at the yamen runner, who looked at him straight with an inquiring gaze.
"You mean... what?"
"Um... nothing."
By the time the yamen runner had finished speaking, Yun Qi had already stopped looking at him and continued to observe the Demon Subduing Platform. "The feng shui of this place is not good, no wonder it can't be built. I'll find a good place and I'll definitely be able to make it happen!"
As he was muttering, the yamen runner's eyes would glance at him from time to time, and after a while he would sigh again. However, Yun Qi paid no attention to him at all, and just kept analyzing the venue and feng shui.
…
"He went out at night and disappeared inexplicably. It's been several days and even his body can't be found. He must have been eaten by that monster!"
"And, more, not only at night, but also during the day, people disappear. They go out to chop wood, pick vegetables, etc. As long as they are out of sight, even two people can't disappear, at least three people are needed. The most important thing is that even the government can't catch the culprit."
"Also, at night, when no one is around, there are always night owls calling. It's very scary. Coupled with the disappearance, almost no one dares to go out."
"Also, in recent years, the people in Wangshui County have always been prone to illness. What else could this be but the work of demons?"
Everyone was talking at once, accusing the monster to Yunqi.
Now in their eyes, Yun Qi is the only one who can save them.
Yun Qi, wanting to appear more knowledgeable, remained silent at first. The guard said, "Everyone, please be patient. With Master Tianzheng here, it won't be a problem to deal with that monster."
Only then did Yun Qi follow his words and say, "Please trust me, I will give the people of Wangshui an explanation."
"Thank you, Taoist Priest!"
"Thank you..."
The people began to express their gratitude again, as if they were afraid that if their enthusiasm was not enough, the people they had waited for so long would abandon them again.
Yun Qi's mood was somewhat complicated. He suddenly began to question whether it was the right choice to blame the monsters for everything the people had suffered.
But after only a moment, Yunqi no longer doubted his decision.
Because the stability of public sentiment is the most important thing at this moment.
"Until I subdue the monster, you must remain cautious. The county magistrate will send patrols, and I will perform a ritual on them to deter the monster from approaching, thus protecting your safety. Remember, do not wander about at night."
"I remember it, I remember it."
The yamen runner frowned and approached Yun Qi, questioningly, "I remember the magistrate didn't say anything about..."
"I will tell him."
"Oh...okay."
At night, Yunqi sat in the house and thought about the connection between these events.
After thinking about it for an unknown amount of time, he rubbed his temples. He remembered that he was not here to solve the case, so why was he brainstorming?
He stood up and walked to the window, wanting to open it to get some fresh air. However, as soon as he opened it, he suddenly saw a black shadow disappear in a flash from not far away.
Yun Qi was startled and immediately shouted, "Don't run away, monster!"
Then he went out through the window, because he thought that most Taoists should have some skills, so there was no need to go through the door.
Yun Qi's purpose of chasing him this time was not to catch him. If he chased him too closely, it would easily alert the enemy. He shouted "monster" and chanted spells, which alarmed the patrolmen, and they began to strengthen their defenses in all directions.
Seeing that it was almost done, Yun Qi stopped and an officer came running over. "What's going on, Taoist priest?"
Yun Qi pretended to sigh, "It's a pity that the monster escaped."
"Master, have you seen clearly what the monster looks like?"
"The monster is invisible, so how can it be easily seen by others?"
"Oh..." The yamen runner nodded, and Yun Qi turned to look at him, "Oh, what are you talking about? Go and chase him."
"Ah, ah, good."
For several days thereafter, Yunqi expanded the patrol team in this open and aboveboard manner, and no civilians went missing.
The people all thought that this was due to the Taoist priest's powerful magic, and gradually they trusted Yun Qi more and more, and acted according to his words.
Until that night, someone knocked on Yunqi's door. When Yunqi opened the door, he saw the county magistrate and Baiyi standing outside. Yunqi invited them in.
In the end, Baiyi was dragged in by the county magistrate with an unwilling look on her face.
"Master, the situation in Wangshui has finally stabilized in the past few days. I brought Baiyi here to express my gratitude to you."
After saying that, he nudged Baiyi, who clasped her hands and said, "Thank you," then quickly put her hands down.
Yun Qi smiled and said, "Hey, what are you thanking me for? It's a win-win cooperation. Just remember to pay me when the time comes."
"Okay, then I'll leave this matter entirely to the Taoist priest. Baiyi and I have discussed this, and the constables in the yamen will be at the Taoist priest's disposal to assist him in capturing the monster."
Yun Qi was a little surprised when he heard this. "I understand the county magistrate's good intentions, but I'm just trying to subdue a demon. There's no need to mobilize so many troops."
"If you know it's well-intentioned, just accept it. Otherwise, Baiyi and I won't be able to help you much, and we'll always feel bad about it."
Yun Qi felt strange, but couldn't tell where it was. At this time, Bai Yi casually echoed: "Just keep it."
His eyes were never on Yunqi, as if he was just going through the motions.
The county magistrate pointed at him and smiled helplessly, "Look at him, he clearly means well, but he has to be so rude. Taoist priest, please don't take it to heart."
Yun Qi looked at Bai Yi and said, "No, how could that be? Mr. Bai Yi is deeply trusted by the county magistrate, so he is naturally on the same page with the county magistrate. The county magistrate values me so much, so Mr. Bai Yi must feel the same way."
"I'm glad you think so, Taoist Priest."
But at this time Baiyi snorted. Although it was very light, the county magistrate and Yunqi both heard it. The county magistrate's smile obviously froze for a moment, but Yunqi didn't care at all. A person who didn't believe in the existence of monsters at all would inevitably look down on the demon-subduing Taoist priest, and he had been deceived once.
Then, just as Yunqi was about to speak, there was suddenly a slight noise outside the house. Yunqi's first reaction was that someone was there.
The other two had obviously noticed it as well. Bai Yi immediately stood up and wanted to go take a look, but the county magistrate stopped him, "Bai Yi, where are you going?"
Baiyi turned around and looked at him, his eyes filled with confusion as to why the county magistrate had called him.
The county magistrate seemed to realize something and immediately explained, "Don't be surprised, Taoist priest. You know there are always night owls in Wangshui County at night. I think the noise outside the door just now was also caused by night owls. Don't worry about it."
"Yeah..." Yun Qi made a surprised expression, "The county magistrate is right, but if Mr. Baiyi wants to go and have a look, then let him go. It's not a big deal. County magistrate... there's no need to make such a fuss."
The county magistrate was stunned. "Ah, yes, the Taoist priest is talking about..."
Afterwards, the county magistrate took Baiyi away and resigned on his own initiative.
Yun Qi had originally thought they would come to him to explain something, or to exchange thoughts, but to his surprise, nothing happened. There were only two possibilities: first, the magistrate had no intention of relying on him, or second, he was simply incapable of accomplishing anything.
No matter which one it was, it made it difficult for Yunqi to be polite to him.
Yunqi opened the window. It was a cloudy day, there was no moon, and it was pitch black outside, but he still stared at a certain place in a daze.
If the people were always taken away intentionally, then the illness, besides the spread of the plague, might also be...
So, Yunqi came to the river. It was already the middle of the night.
Abnormal water quality is undoubtedly the most likely cause of the illness. Recently, he traveled around Wangshui County and did not find any bad customs or habits among the people here, nor did they come into contact with any toxic substances.
Most of the patients are old and young.
At night, the dark river water flowed steadily. Yun Qi stood by the river. He was sure that no one was following him, otherwise no one could resist someone who wanted to kill people and throw them into the river.
But at this moment he was in trouble.
The river water looked normal and had no strange smell.
It would be fine if nothing was found, but the most important thing is that not finding anything does not mean that everything is fine. Maybe it just cannot be found.
Yun Qi sighed deeply. If only there was one... one person at this moment, that would be fine.
Yunqi came up with a model in his mind, but he couldn't name it. It had a vague shape. He knew that it must be related to the unfamiliar environment in his mind before, and it was something he had never seen before.
The clouds in the sky suddenly parted, and Yunqi realized that the moon was so round today. The moonlight poured down, reflected on the river water, and the surroundings suddenly became bright.
It was originally quite artistic: a small river, a full moon, and chirping insects... But then, there was this... a floating corpse!?
Yun Qiyou suddenly jumped up from his squatting position and couldn't help but yelling in a low voice: "What's going on? There really is something wrong with this river."
Then he quickly fished the man out, dragging him to the shore by his arm while complaining, "If the moon hadn't come out in time, we would have missed each other, brother."
Of course, Yun Qi didn't hesitate to say this because he was certain that the man was still alive.
He continued, but he was already out of breath: "It is the most...farthest distance in the world. I can't see..."
Having said this, he had already flattened the man, and then he could vaguely see the man's face.
This, damn, am I dazzled! ?
Or am I dreaming???
Yun Qi slapped his face hard to make sure he was not dreaming, then teleported to the man's side and rubbed his face hard a few times to make sure he was not dazzled.
Only then was he certain, "Ling Junyan?"
"How could you get yourself into the river?"
Wangshui County is thousands of miles away from Mutian City. Yun Qi still couldn't believe that a new emperor appeared in the river instead of in the palace.
He immediately noticed the wound near Ling Junyan's heart. He touched it, and then the chill ran through his whole body from his fingertips.
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