After Ling Miao Gong finished speaking, he saw that the young man's expression seemed to change slightly in an instant, and he sensed the turbulent waves in his heart. Even though he was an experienced old man, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, saying that it was a disaster. Then he picked up the brass wire teapot that was popular in the human world thousands of years ago, poured a cup of tea for Qi Wuhuo, and said slowly:

“Don’t rush, don’t make it difficult.”

"Does the young man know how to act?"

Qi Wuhuo replied quietly:

"If I were a common man, I would repay the kindness and revenge if I had saved my life."

“Don’t be afraid of the world’s abuse.”

Ling Miao Gong gently asked: "Then what should the Taoist do?"

Qi Wuhuo said: "Draw the sword for the living."

"The evil spirit spread, and the resentment was hard to calm down. First, the plague spread to the people of Zhongzhou, and then the evil spirits led to the emergence of demons to wreak havoc on the land."

"It is time to quell the disease, slay the demons, and punish the chief culprits."

Ling Miao Gong sighed. The old mountain god looked gentle and compassionate, just like an elder asking him questions. He sat in the position of his former teacher and asked the young man in front of him, just like asking himself a thousand years ago. He said:

"Then how should the judge act?"

The young Taoist was silent for a long time, then replied, "I will respect it according to the law."

"He should be executed."

Ling Miao Gong didn't say anything. When the tea had cooled, he smiled and said quietly, "I have seen many young people like you, but they are still not experienced enough. You must know that it is not difficult to make a decision at the beginning. Both reason and human feelings will remind you what to do."

"They will tell you what is right."

"You know what to do."

“But knowing is one thing, and when it comes, it’s time to do it.”

"Can you really do it?"

“This is the second ordeal.”

"So the reason why [killing one's own relatives for the sake of justice] is [righteousness] is because it is difficult to do. The laws of the world all have [concealment of one's own faults]. If a father conceals the faults of his son, the father will not be arrested and imprisoned for this, because although the law is strict, it also takes into account the existence of human feelings."

"And, in the end, whether you take action or not, the impact of this incident will continue to haunt you. When you wake up in the middle of the night, you will think of the decision you made at this moment and ask yourself, are you worthy of the world and your benefactor, or are you willing to let the world down in order to repay your kindness?"

"You won't hesitate during the day, but when you wake up quietly at night, these things will still surface."

“You will question yourself whether you are heartless, whether you have done something wrong, once, twice, three times, one thing, two things, three things. These things surge up and eventually entangle your heart of Tao. Only then can it be called the [Calamity] of Taoism. Some practitioners call the love between men and women a calamity. How small it is.”

"Taoists know that the calamity of love is for all living beings and for oneself."

“It is the conflict between the great love for all living beings and the gratitude for oneself.”

"Only in this way can it penetrate deeply into your bones, leaving you tossing and turning, unable to let go. There is no perfect match, so the Taoists sigh and the Buddhists close their eyes, calling it the Five Difficulties and Eight Sufferings."

Ling Miao said, "You don't have to make such a choice. If this matter is really the main culprit, then in the end, it may require a higher-level being from the North Pole Exorcism Institute to step in. You alone cannot save him, nor can you kill him. However, since you are the messenger of the Five Thunder Judge and you are in Zhongzhou, you should issue an imperial decree to state your judgment."

"And the one who draws the sword at that time will most likely be you."

When the young Taoist put down the teacup, he realized that although his heart was as strong as before, his body was unconsciously tense and exerted force. When he put down the teacup, it made a loud noise. He bowed slightly and said:

"Been taught a lesson."

"Where is Mr. Ao Liu?"

Lord Ling Miao hesitated for a moment and replied, "He? He went to send a niece to the Demon Country."

"The dragon clan is divided into three branches, one of which is active in the demon world. Ao Liu's niece wants to travel to the demon world."

"The old man, go see her off."

The young Taoist finished the cup of tea, then picked up the little peacock who was still eating the snacks from the old mountain god, which were considered snacks only eaten by the older generation of gods and goddesses. He said goodbye and left. When he picked up the sword, it whistled in the sword case, but the young Taoist's expression was still peaceful.

However, Master Ling Miao could see that the eyes of this Taoist disciple were like clouds in the sky, and his Taoist heart was shaken after all.

Do not shake your heart of Tao.

It cannot be called a disaster.

Anything that can be easily overcome does not deserve to be called a disaster.

When Qi Wuhuo was leaving, a mountain god on the side pondered for a long time, and finally could not help but stepped forward, bowed and asked: "Mr. Lingmiao, to kill or to save, which is right and which is wrong? I know it is righteous, but I cannot fail to repay the grace of saving my life."

The old mountain god replied: "Right? Wrong?"

"What bullshit are you talking about."

Lord Lingmiao sighed and said, "Under the great way, there is no right or wrong, only choices."

"It doesn't mean that everything will be over once you make a choice."

"After one choice, there will be another. The road is like flowing water, and sentient beings are like rocks. Falling into the water, they are impacted by the ups and downs of the undercurrents. As a result, everyone changes and gains something. Some go with the flow, while others are crushed to pieces. But no matter what, you can't say that one is wrong and the other is right."

"It's just a choice."

"Of course, once you make a choice, you must bear the consequences."

"Choose your path, accept your results, come and go with the sword in hand, and keep your heart unchanged. This is the true path."

Lord Juyun Lingmiao stood up, sighed, and said, "Didn't you and I come here because of a series of conscious or unconscious choices, and we will definitely continue to move forward? Now looking back, is it really right or wrong?"

The mountain god pondered for a long time, and then asked: "Then... this Taoist priest cut off the mixed incense of the land god before."

"Why don't you bring this up and ask him to help you with another sword strike?"

Lord Ling Miao shook his head and said, "He just came here and entrusted you and me to keep an eye on the evil spirit. Now he is making a request. It seems a bit coercive. This is not good. Besides, it was he who absorbed the incense carelessly, which led to the collapse of his lifespan. It is already a great thing to be able to extend his lifespan by three months."

"Even if Judge Qi is unwilling to help, it is only natural."

"You can't complain."

The mountain god nodded in agreement for a long time, then retreated, merely out of curiosity.

If that is the case, then why did Master Lingmiao look for this young Taoist so earnestly before?

Could it be that there are other reasons?

By the time everyone had left, the official residence of Lord Lingmiao had become empty. The mountain god stood up, put on his armor, picked up a sword, and then asked, "You should have heard everything just now, Ao Liu? How do you feel?"

What kind of person is Lord Ling Miao? When he knew about the appearance of evil spirits, epidemic spirits, and various miasma, he had already concluded that there must be a problem with the rain caused by the Dragon King of the Jing River. After inviting Qi Wuhuo back, when he went to get the tea set, he had already sent a message to Ao Liu to ask him to come over. Ao Liu was the master of a thousand-mile water area and had opened a water palace. He was extremely powerful and came here silently.

Ling Miao Gong saw the old Dragon King standing there quietly.

Seeing the old Dragon King's calm expression, dignified face, a pair of dark golden eyes showing sharpness at this moment, one side of his cheek still had the scar left by the backlash when it rained in Jinzhou a few years ago, which made him look even more ferocious. Lord Lingmiao and Ao Liu had been friends for thousands of years and knew each other's methods. The old mountain god whistled the knife in his hand and said slowly: "Ao Liu..."

"When did you know about your son's rain problem?"

The old Dragon King said, "Half a month ago, the rain dissipated the epidemic."

Lord Ling Miao suddenly realized, "So, it has been raining frequently these days. It is because you are completely eliminating the remaining plague..."

The two were silent for a long time, and Ling Miao Gong couldn't help but said, "Although you have the responsibility of being the Dragon King of Jinghe River, it is your son who has been making the clouds and rain for the past few years. These things are well documented. If you report them to Penglai Division, they will know the truth after a quick check. Even if you are guilty, it will only be the crime of dereliction of duty for [failure to supervise properly]."

"He will definitely be severely punished, but at least his life can be saved."

The old Dragon King looked at him, smiled, and asked, "Do you want a father to watch his son die?"

Ling Miaogong paused.

This matter must lead to death.

Some were beheaded because of their failure to supervise properly and their arbitrarily delegating power without supervision, which led to great disaster.

The situation that has lasted for 3,600 years has been broken, and the evil spirit is flowing into the mortal world, which will surely bring about great changes.

Sometimes his son was beheaded, because the one who did it was his dragon son, and Ao Liu was deceived and failed to take responsibility.

Ao Liu said, "It's my fault for not monitoring him well. I also didn't visit my son's friends. I never thought that he would be bewitched and have a lucky heart. If a son is not taught well, it's the fault of the father. It's only natural that he should be punished for his son. As for my son, maybe he will go to the Dragon Locking Well and live a good life."

Ling Miao Gong looked at the hideous wound on his old friend's forehead with a complicated expression and sighed:

"If you hadn't gone to Jinzhou to forcefully bring rain, and hadn't been hit by that blazing evil spirit, causing the blazing fire poison to linger inside your internal organs, with your level of cultivation, why would you have been so hasty to hand over the position to your son? How could such a thing have happened?"

"If you didn't need to retreat to get rid of the fire poison, you would definitely notice when he did it."

Ao Liu did not answer, but just smiled and said: "What happened back then is in the past."

Ling Miao said, "That child is the one who survived the incident in Jinzhou, right?"

Ao Liu said: "Yes."

The dragon is the closest creature to being born in the universe. It has a photographic memory, which is natural.

He still remembered the day when he was passing by Jinzhou and saw a young child lying there. When it rained, the child opened his eyes. They met again in a teahouse in Zhongzhou. He was holding a child and looked down to see the young Taoist walking through the mortal world. Then he realized the wonder of the world, which was beyond words.

Ling Miao Gong hesitated for a moment and said, "That child...is now the Five Thunder Judge of the North Pole Exorcism Institute."

"you……"

Ao Liu smiled and replied:

"I'll wait for him to kill me."

Ling Miaogong looked faintly sad.

He had countless things he wanted to say.

But in the end he didn't say anything, just saying how stupid Ao Liu was doing, even giving up his life to save that hopeless idiot. He had countless reasons to persuade Ao Liu, but from Ao Liu's point of view, he could explain it all with the two words father and son.

The aged Dragon King raised his wine, toasted his old friend, and said:

"Whether you are a human or a dragon, you will die one day."

"The immortal officials in the heavenly palace are busy all day long, and what they are after is nothing but the longevity elixir in the heavenly palace; the Yin spirits are busy all day longing for Yin virtue and Yin life, and seeking rebirth."

"But my death can make my son know what his duty is. Let him know that anything he does will come at a price, and that price includes me. The greater the power and the wider the implications, the greater the price. Using my death to make him understand this can bring him back to the right path."

"If he still refuses to change his ways at that time, then he will be hopeless."

After finishing the first glass of wine, he poured a second glass of wine and said:

"You can use the sword to sever the cause and effect and the grudges with Wuhuo. I saved him, and he killed me for justice. This will shape his heart, clarify his path, and know his determination. If you kill my son, there will be no such fluctuations in your state of mind. Killing me shows that he has a bright future."

"This way, there will be one more upright judge between heaven and earth, who can sweep away all evil with thunder and lightning."

He drank the second glass of wine, but only drank half of the third glass, and the remaining half spilled on the ground.

"Third, I will repay the debt owed to Zhongzhou with my flesh and blood."

"There is no regret in this case."

Three cups of wine were drunk.

The old Dragon King stood up and said, "Everyone wants to live, but I want to die."

"I will sacrifice my life to save my son from going astray, to shape the hearts of the young, and to bring a rain of dragon blood to all living things."

"My friend, do you think this kind of death is acceptable?"

He smiled and said, "But you still have to give me seven days."

Ling Miao Gong said: "What are you going to do?"

Ao Liu said: "I'm going to do what I have to do. As you said, I'll send my niece to a safe place according to the original agreement, and then finish some things. I know you hold the knife because you're worried that I'll escape. Don't worry, I'm not your opponent in Lingmiao Mountain. If you make a move, I'll be taken down, but I still hope you can trust me."

"You let me go now."

"I won't run away."

"After seven days, Ao Liu will naturally come back and accept his death as punishment."

After a long time, the mountain god Lingmiaogong slowly put away his knife.

Dragon King Ao Liu laughed loudly, bowed slightly, drank up the wine, and drank up the thousand years of grudges, and said goodbye to Taoist friends, turned around and left. Ling Miao Gong couldn't help but step forward and asked: "Ao Liu, seven years ago, you saved people in Jinzhou when it rained, and suffered the bitter consequences today. Do you regret it?"

The Dragon King did not answer, but just laughed a few times, waved his sleeves casually, and his back was free and easy. Although his hair was white and his face was ferocious, he still had the demeanor that had won the heart of Zhongzhou Chess Master back then.

He turned into a dragon and flew away.