He felt extremely ashamed. It wasn't until two hours later that Xie Lian found some time to secretly read the scroll, and only then did he finally roughly understand the background of this Wind Master.
The Five Celestial Masters all use titles instead of surnames. For example, before his ascension, Earth Master's original name in the mortal realm was Mingyi. After his ascension, he became known as "Earth Master Yi." Wind Master's original name before his ascension was Shi Qingxuan. After his ascension, he became known as "Wind Master Qingxuan." Wind Master Qingxuan, like his title, is as swift as the wind. He enjoys making friends and is generous and unconcerned with small matters. He is extremely popular in the Upper Heaven, as evidenced by the fact that he distributes 100,000 merits in a single stroke during his spiritual communication formation. Furthermore, his brother is the High Priest who oversees the wealth of the mortal world, so naturally, he is generous and unconcerned with small matters.
Yes, Wind Master Qingxuan’s brother is the “Shui Hengtian”, the Water Master Wudu.
They descended to the mortal realm together, walking side by side, chatting as they went. Xie Lian folded his arms and said sincerely, "Two Pei generals, one surname, ascending to heaven is already a remarkable story in the mortal realm, but for you two Feng Shui masters to ascend to heaven together is truly even more remarkable."
You must know that among tens of thousands of people, not necessarily one can ascend. There are hundreds of years between Pei Ming and Pei Su. Pei Su is not Pei Ming's direct descendant, but the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Pei Ming's brother. However, the water master Wu Du and the wind master Qing Xuan are a pair of real blood brothers. This is the real case of two people from the same family ascending to heaven. How can it not be surprising?
Shi Qingxuan smiled and said, "What's the big deal? My brother and I grew up in the same place, studied under the same master, and practiced the same way. Naturally, we ascended to heaven in the same lifetime."
Xie Lian had also learned this while cramming for scrolls. Of the two Feng Shui masters, Shi Wudu ascended first, and not many years later, Shi Qingxuan also survived his tribulation. These two priests were often worshipped together, worshipped in the same hall, and treated as equals, demonstrating the genuine friendship between the two brothers. Presumably, the Water Master was the reason Sanlang and Nanfeng had mentioned, and why Pei Ming wouldn't mess with the Wind Master. After all, he was Shui Hengtian's younger brother, so how could he easily offend him?
At this point, Xie Lian suddenly remembered something. After thinking about it, he asked, "Master Feng, at the Divine Martial Hall, I heard General Pei say that he and your brother seem to be quite close. If you go and tell General Pei this time, will your brother..."
Shi Qingxuan said, "No, no. My brother has long known that I dislike Pei Ming."
Xie Lian asked, “Knowing is one thing, doing something is another. Will this create a rift between the Admiral and General Pei?”
Shi Qingxuan said, "It's better to have a rift. I wish my brother would stop hanging out with him and get rid of the three evil tumors as soon as possible."
Xie Lian was startled and asked, “What three poisonous tumors?”
Shi Qingxuan was shocked and said, "What! You don't know this? Oh! Okay, I know you don't know anything. Just listen to it. These three poisonous tumors are nicknames for several priests in the Upper Heaven who have a bad reputation but are on good terms with each other. They are Mingguang, Lingwen, and my brother."
Xie Lian thought to himself, “It’s not Xie Lian, Xie Lian, Xie Lian.”
Shi Qingxuan shook his Wind Master Fan and continued, "Even if I don't dislike him, this incident was originally Xiao Pei's own fault. Pei Ming wants to use that Ban Yue Imperial Preceptor to take the blame and save Xiao Pei, but he can't do that. Regardless of whether they are human, god, or ghost, they must be held accountable for their actions. What kind of skill is it to bully a little girl?"
He said the last sentence with a rather disdainful tone. Xie Lian listened and smiled, "Master Fengshi is truly a chivalrous man."
Shi Qingxuan smiled and said, "You're not bad. I've vaguely heard some rumors about Banyueguan, but I never had the time to delve into them. Plus, my brother scolded me a few times, so I forgot about it. The other day, I heard you asking in the spiritual communication array, and I remembered something like this, so I went to check it out. Who knew you would not only ask, but also go there. I thought, hey, this person is not bad!"
This Wind Master was a very straightforward and amusing person. Xie Lian could understand why he was so popular in the Upper Heaven. He had never expected that after ascending to heaven, he would actually meet such a strong priest in the Upper Heaven. He couldn't help but smile. But when he turned around and looked back, the white-robed Taoist beside him had transformed into a white-robed female priest.
This happened so suddenly that Xie Lian nearly slipped. He asked, "Master Wind Master, why did you suddenly transform again?"
Shi Qingxuan flicked her long hair and said, "Oh, Your Highness, to be honest, my magic power will be stronger when I am like this."
As mentioned earlier, the Wind Master and the Water Master were often worshipped together. However, this led to a strange incident. Perhaps people felt that having two male priests in the same temple was lacking something. A man and a woman working together would make the work easier, and it seemed that a man and a woman would be the perfect complement. So, someone later made the Wind Master statue appear female.
Not only did they change his image to a female, but they also fabricated nonsense, claiming the two Feng Shui priests were brother and sister, with some even claiming they were a married couple. Over the centuries, rumors spread, giving rise to a myriad of bizarre stories. The two priests, on a whim, sought him out and were left with goosebumps. Yet, many people believed this nonsense, often confusing the gender of the Feng Shui master with the constant "Goddess, bless me." Consequently, Shi Qingxuan earned the nickname "Feng Shui Goddess."
While comical, such absurdities are not uncommon. Take Lingwen, for example, who had a similar experience. Although Lingwen was a female priestess, she never dressed ostentatiously like other fairies. She usually wore black and white, looking efficient and efficient. She spent her days in Lingwen Hall, frantically reviewing scrolls with a group of civil servants. While her personality played a role, there were other reasons as well. If you randomly asked anyone in the human world, "Is Lingwen Zhenjun a man or a woman?" they would all firmly answer, "He is a man."
A literary deity is, of course, male. Because of this, Lingwen suffered greatly in her early ascension. She was a literary deity, but many on earth wondered how a woman could hold the position. How could she guarantee prosperity? It was impossible! So, despite her diligent efforts, the incense offerings fell cold. Eventually, a few temple priests, displeased, reshaped Lingwen's statues, transforming them all into male figures. They forcibly transformed Lingwen Yuanjun into Lingwen Zhenjun, and even fabricated a jaw-dropping legend about her origins. With this change, the incense offerings returned. Everyone praised Lingwen's true spirit. In reality, the priestess remained the same, her powers the same, and the stories were fabricated, but people simply fell for them. Later, when Lingwen appeared in dreams or visions, she had to assume a male form.
Similarly, people believe that a Feng Shui temple like yours must have a man and a woman to maintain order, so it must be a man and a woman. It doesn't matter if you're a god or a ghost. You are what people believe you are. Even if you're a million miles from that, people still only see what they want to see. This kind of thing is nothing new to the heavenly officials.
As for Shi Qingxuan himself, from Xie Lian's observation, he didn't seem to care much. Rather, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Not only was he enjoying himself, but he was also eager to encourage others to join him. Xie Lian was also deeply suspicious of the true identity of the black-clad woman he had accompanied him on his last trip. In the two hours since he'd descended from the heavens, Shi Qingxuan had been trying to persuade Xie Lian to adopt a female form, with a perfectly valid reason: "Women have a stronger yin energy, making it easier for them to conceal themselves in the ghost market."
Xie Lian thought about it and could only decline politely: "I don't have enough magical power to transform it."
Shi Qingxuan was very enthusiastic and said, "I'll lend it to you. Isn't that why the Emperor asked me to come here?"
Xie Lian said, “Sir, please lend it to me when the fight starts…”
Shi Qingxuan's persuasion failed, so he gave up trying. By then, the two had arrived at a desolate wilderness. As night deepened, crows cawing in the dark woods, creating a bleak and eerie atmosphere. Xie Lian observed for a moment, then said, "Let's go here. This place is gloomy and filled with gloom, and there's a large cemetery nearby. We'll definitely see one or two heading out to market. We can just follow them then."
So, the two of them squatted beside the mass graves, waiting for something to happen.
After squatting for a while, Shi Qingxuan reached into his sleeve and rummaged around. He somehow pulled out a jar of wine and said, "Want some?"
Xie Lian took it and took a sip, which made his throat burn. He returned the jar to him and said, "Thank you very much."
Shi Qingxuan took it back, drank two sips, and said, "You can't drink it?"
Xie Lian said, “I can drink. But if I drink too much I’ll go crazy, so I’d better just taste it. What time is it?”
Shi Qingxuan pondered for a moment and said, "It's midnight."
Xie Lian said, “Well, it’s almost time.”
As soon as the words fell, the two saw a row of faint lights appearing in the distance deep in the woods.
The faint lights drew nearer and nearer, until, emerging from the forest, they saw a procession of expressionless women in white. Some young, some old, some beautiful, some ugly, each dressed in shrouds, each carrying a white lantern, they slowly advanced.
These are the female ghosts who are going to the ghost market late at night.
Xie Lian whispered, “Follow me.”
Shi Qingxuan nodded, drank the wine in two gulps, threw the jar away, and the two of them stood up from the ground and followed the group of ghosts as if nothing had happened.
The two had made sufficient preparations beforehand, removing all spiritual light from their bodies. They looked like two human-shaped pieces of wood, devoid of any human energy. The ghosts of the women, holding white lanterns, walked slowly through the dark woods, chatting softly.
One person said: "I'm so happy, the ghost market is open again, I want to get my face done."
Another person asked, "What's wrong with your face? Didn't you just have it done not long ago?"
The first person said, "It's rotten again. Alas, the person who did it for me last time said it would be guaranteed to last for a year, and it's only been less than half a year."
Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan followed behind them, listening to their conversation without saying a word. When they heard something funny, they would just exchange a few quirky glances. After walking for half an hour, the group arrived at a valley.
Deep in the valley, a faint red light shone through, and in the hazy, empty night, the sound of singing seemed to reach them. Xie Lian grew increasingly curious about what this legendary ghost market looked like. Unexpectedly, just as they entered the valley, the last female ghost in the group turned around, spotted them, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
At this question, the pale-faced women in front all turned around, all puzzled. They surrounded them and asked, "When did they catch up? These two weren't there when we left the tomb."
"Which cemetery do you live in? Why do I seem to have never seen you before?"
Xie Lian coughed lightly and said, “We…came here from a cemetery quite far away, so of course we haven’t seen him.”
Shi Qingxuan also laughed and said, "Yes, we came all the way here just to visit the ghost market."
A group of women in white stared at them expressionlessly, speechless. Any two people would have been driven to their knees in fear. Xie Lian wasn't afraid of his identity being exposed. How could these frail ghosts of women and children pose a threat to them? However, the Ghost Market was right before his eyes, so close at hand, how could he possibly stir up trouble and alert the enemy?
At this time, a woman stared at Shi Qingxuan and spoke slowly.
She said, "Sister, your face is well maintained."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan were both startled.
Then, they both nodded in unison. Xie Lian said, "Not bad, not bad." Shi Qingxuan imitated his tone and said, "Very good, very good."
A group of female ghosts gathered around and started discussing: "Yeah, it's not rotten at all." "Sister, where did you get your face done?" "What's the secret?" "Do you have any recommended shops?"
Shi Qingxuan didn't know how to answer, so he could only laugh dryly and said, "Really? I think my face is pretty good too, haha ...
How could he know how to maintain a dead person's face? He could only continue to laugh dryly to delay time. At this moment, the team turned, and Xie Lian's vision suddenly opened up, and a sea of red came into view.
A bizarre world unfolded before him.
This is a long street.
The streets stretched as far as the eye could see, crammed with all manner of shops and vendors, their fluttering multicolored signs and large red lanterns scattered across the street. Most of the pedestrians, coming and going, wore masks. Some cried, some laughed, some were angry; some were human, some were not. Those without masks could only be described as "grotesque." Some had large heads and small bodies, some were as thin as bamboo poles, and some were flattened like pancakes, sticking to the ground, grumbling as passersby stepped on them.
Xie Lian was careful not to step on anything strange. Passing by a food stall, he saw the owner diligently stirring a pot of soup with a large bone stick. As he stirred, saliva leaked from between his teeth, dripping into the broth. Several eyeballs floated in the strangely colored broth. Xie Lian watched, and suddenly felt a surge of confidence.
Elsewhere, some eccentric people were performing acrobatics. A burly man grabbed a weakling ghost. He opened his mouth and a huge blaze of fire erupted, burning the ghost, causing it to scream and struggle like a slaughtered pig. The onlookers clapped, laughed, and cheered loudly. Someone else, acting madly, threw money into the air, making it snow. The money fluttered and landed right in front of Xie Lian. He reached out and snatched it up. It was indeed ghost money.
Walking further, I passed a butcher's shop. A row of gaunt human heads hung in front of the shop, neatly arranged from smallest to largest, with prices clearly marked: young boy meat, young boy meat, male meat, female meat, and even brittle bones. The apron-wearing butcher, knife in hand, busily working in the shop, was a wild boar with long black mane. What it was chopping off, one chop after another, was a thick, twitching human leg.
It is truly a hell of chaos and carnival.
It was common for people to butcher pigs, but it was rare for pigs to butcher people. Xie Lian couldn't help but stare a few more times, only to be spotted by the pig. It immediately said, "What are you looking at? Do you want to buy it or not?"
Xie Lian shook his head and said, “No.”
The butcher chopped the pig down hard on the chopping board, sending blood and flesh splattering. It grumbled, "If you don't want to buy, don't look! Damn it, are you looking for trouble? Get out of here!"
Xie Lian rolled away. But after taking a few steps, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.
The ghosts of the women and Shi Qingxuan had disappeared without a trace.
Xie Lian was startled, and immediately thought of communicating with the Wind Master, fearing he would be dragged by the women's ghosts to get a shave and a facial treatment. However, this was a ghost market, and even celestial spirit magic was restricted here. Unable to communicate with the spirits, he began to search aimlessly on the streets. As he walked, he was suddenly pulled by someone. Already wary, he immediately asked, "Who?"
The one holding him was a woman. She was startled by him, but after seeing his face clearly, she giggled and said in a charming voice, "Oh, little brother, you are so handsome."
The woman was scantily clad, her makeup horribly vulgar. Her powder wasn't evenly applied, so it fell off the moment she opened her mouth. Her chest was bulging, as if something had been stuffed into her flesh. It was truly frightening to look at. Xie Lian gently removed her skinny, chicken-claw-like hand and said, "Young lady, let's talk it over."
The woman was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and said, "Oh my god, you call me girl? In this day and age, there are still people who call me girl? Hahahahahaha!"
The people around him seemed to find it hilarious, and they joined in the laughter. Xie Lian shook his head, but before he could say anything, the woman lunged at him again, saying, "Don't leave! Little brother, I like you. Come with me for a night of fun. I don't want your money." She pouted, threw him a coquettish glance, and said, "I'll pay for you, hehehe..."
Xie Lian thought to himself, what a sin! He pulled away subtly but firmly, saying softly, "Young lady."
Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly seemed impatient and said, "Why call me girl? Who wants to hear you call me that? Okay, stop talking nonsense. So, are you coming or not?"
As if to seduce Xie Lian, she suddenly unbuttoned her already revealing clothing. Xie Lian hadn't been prepared for her boldness, and he didn't expect her to stop him. He sighed, averted his gaze, and took a detour. But the ghost stopped him again, teasing him provocatively, "Do you like it?"
However, Xie Lian had been immersed in the Huangji Temple since childhood, abstaining from sex for years, his mind and body always as steady as a rock. He remained calm and composed in the face of everything he saw, reciting the Tao Te Ching in his mind with a resounding voice, completely unmoved. The female ghost's teasing failed, her face darkened, and she spat, "You wouldn't even want me to throw myself at you, are you a man?"
Xie Lian glanced to the side and said, "Yes."
The female ghost said: "Then prove it to me!"
Someone on the side laughed and said, "You slut, she doesn't want you because you're old and ugly, so why are you still clinging to her?"
Xie Lian listened, his expression unchanged, "Not really. I have a hidden illness. I can't get an erection."
Everyone was startled, and then suddenly burst into ghostly howling laughter: "Hahahahahahahahahaha..."
This time, the target of ridicule became Xie Lian. Truly, no man had ever had the courage to publicly admit he had a hidden illness. Xie Lian, however, didn't care at all about whether his evil root could do evil, and he used this as an excuse to shirk responsibility, a method that worked time and again. Sure enough, the female ghost immediately covered herself with her clothes, stopped pestering, and cursed, "No wonder you're acting like that. You pig! You didn't tell me you were sick earlier! Ptah!"
Not far away, the pig butcher chopped down the pig with his knife again and cursed: "Fuck, you damn bitch, how can you talk like that? What's wrong with the pig?"
The female ghost was not to be outdone. She cursed back loudly, "Yeah, what's wrong with the pig? You damn beast!"
Many voices on the long street shouted, "The female ghost Lan Chang is causing trouble again!" "Butcher Zhu, chop the ghosts!" The two sides engaged in a chaotic struggle, and Xie Lian finally managed to escape. He walked a distance, looked back, and sighed.
Soon, there was another noise ahead. As he walked, he came to a huge red building.
This building was truly magnificent, its pillars, roof, and exterior walls all painted a rich crimson, covered in a thick, rich carpet. It was indistinguishable from a palace in heaven, though less solemn and more vibrant. People were bustling in front of the door, and inside, a bustling atmosphere filled the air. Listening closely, it seemed to be a gambling den.
Xie Lian walked forward and saw two scrolls of calligraphy hanging on the pillars on either side. On the left read "Money over life," and on the right, "Winning over shame." Looking above, the horizontal scroll read: "Hahahaha."
“…”
It was so crude, it couldn't even be called a couplet. Furthermore, the handwriting was crude and chaotic, devoid of any brushwork. It looked as if someone, drunk, had wielded a large brush with malice, then been swept along by a gust of unhealthy wind, leaving it in this state. Xie Lian, once the crown prince of a powerful nation, had been taught calligraphy by several renowned teachers. Naturally, such writing was appalling to him. However, it was so awful, so demonic, that Xie Lian almost laughed at it. He shook his head, thinking that the Wind Master wouldn't be playing around here. He should probably look for one of those beauty parlors that shave female ghosts.
He should have just left like that, but for some unknown reason, after taking a few steps, he turned around and walked in.
As expected, the gambling hall was packed, bustling with people, filled with laughter and cries. Xie Lian had just walked down a few steps when he heard a scream. He looked closely and saw four masked men carrying a man towards him.
The man seemed to be in great pain, struggling and howling even as he was carried, bleeding profusely as he walked. It turned out that both of his legs had been severed, and blood was gushing out. A little devil was following him all the way, greedily licking the blood from the ground until it was clean.
Despite such a terrifying scene, no one in the gambling house turned back to take a second look; they continued to shout, cheer, and roll around. However, originally, most of the people playing here weren't human, and if they were, they weren't ordinary people.
Xie Lian stepped aside, letting the four men carry the person out, and continued walking in. A maid wearing a smiling mask came up to him and said with a smile, "Sir, are you here to play?"
Xie Lian smiled faintly and said, "I don't have any money on me, can I just take a look?"
In his experience, if you say something like that in a shop, you'll usually be kicked out. Why are you going in without money? However, the waitress said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if you don't have money. Most people who play here don't gamble with money."
Xie Lian asked, “Really?”
The maid covered her mouth and said, "Yes. Sir, please follow me."
She waved to Xie Lian and walked forward gracefully. Xie Lian followed behind her calmly, looking around.
Whether viewed from the outside or inside, this gambling house was magnificent without being ostentatious, ornate without being gaudy. It could almost be described as a building of considerable taste. The maid led Xie Lian to the back of the hall, where a long table stood, three layers deep. As Xie Lian approached, he heard a man say, "I'll bet one hand!"
There were too many onlookers, so Xie Lian couldn't squeeze in, so he could only stand outside and listen. Suddenly, he heard another person lazily say, "No need. Not to mention a hand, even your life is worthless here."
Upon hearing this voice, Xie Lian's heart suddenly jumped.
He muttered silently: "Sanlang."
The voice he had just heard was indeed that young man's. However, it was slightly deeper than he remembered.
But, precisely because of this, the sound was even more pleasant to the ear. Even amid the laughter of the onlookers, the sound was extremely clear, penetrating the bustling gambling house and reaching his ears.
Xie Lian looked up and realized that behind the long table, there was a curtain. Behind the curtain, he could vaguely see a figure in red, leaning leisurely on a chair.
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