A black shadow broke out of the water and turned into a water monster with a sharp-fanged mouth, monkey-like cheeks, mung bean eyes, a turtle back, long and thin arms, and short legs.
He fell to his knees by the river with a plop, kowtowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"
Zhang Ling couldn't help but feel suspicious when he heard this: "Do you recognize me?"
The water monster said, "I am a water monster, also known as a water ghost in the human world. Yesterday, the netherworld sent me a message, telling me that at this very moment, an old man will be doomed to die. His life span will end soon. I will go fishing tonight. You can pull him into the water and he will become a water ghost. My soul will return to the netherworld and reincarnate."
"Just as I was about to drag him into the water, a ghost messenger suddenly came with a message, saying that a distinguished guest was approaching the water and that we should not be disrespectful. So, I used the dead fish I had just hung on the old man as a hint for him to leave."
Zhang Ling heard this and calculated with his fingers. Then he couldn't help but ask, "I wonder who that ghost messenger you're talking about is? Could you tell me?"
The water ghost said, "The ghost officer said frankly that he was grateful to the Supreme Lord for giving him dates, and he will always remember it. This time, we met by chance, so it is inconvenient for him to show himself, but he must not be rude."
The favor of giving me dates?
Zhang Ling couldn't help but think back to whether he had met the ghost messenger before and whether he had been given the magical dates...
In a moment, my thoughts became clear and I remembered this story.
This matter can be traced back to the time when he was in Shunjiang County. He once passed by a village and saw a bronze snake biting a mortal to death, causing the death of an innocent person. At that time, several ghost officials from the underworld came up and gave him some fairy dates as a token of their connection.
Zhang Ling nodded, feeling troubled. "It is my presence that has hindered your chance of reincarnation."
The water ghost was not disappointed and said, "Your Excellency is a distinguished guest from the Netherworld. It is an honor for me to be here. I am willing to wait for my next reincarnation opportunity here."
Zhang Ling shook his head and said, "I wonder if my use of immortal light to liberate you would be of any help?"
Upon hearing this, the other party was overjoyed, yet also shocked, saying, "How could such a noble and precious body of Your Majesty stoop so low as to perform a salvation for me?"
The water ghost looked at the young man in blue in disbelief, as if he had heard something out of the ordinary.
It is such an honor and opportunity that there is an immortal who is willing to personally perform a ritual to liberate the water ghost!
With the endorsement of immortals and the immortal light shining upon you, you will surely be rich and noble in your next life. Purple air will come from the east, and you will have a peaceful and smooth life with prosperity.
Zhang Ling had previously counted on his fingers for this water ghost, and he was actually kind-hearted. He had several opportunities to pull the children from the water, but he couldn't bear to do it. Sometimes he would transform himself into a boy wearing a lotus leaf straw hat and play with the children. After getting familiar with them, he would warn them not to get close to deep water and not to go into the water to play.
This is a good intention, as it can stay in the water for hundreds of years.
The existence of water ghosts in this river is caused by the laws of nature. It has nothing to do with good or evil. When there is a suitable opportunity to drag someone into the water, the underworld will send someone to inform you. It will be a disaster for a certain mortal. It all depends on what the water ghost thinks. If the water ghost decides to drag this person into the water, the disaster will be difficult to overcome.
The old man who was fishing just now was destined to face this disaster, but he was able to get through it calmly because of Zhang Ling's arrival.
The reason was that when Zhang Ling first saw the old man, he felt that he was upright and had a Confucian background. He calculated that he was a clean-handed, fair and honest person, so he stayed by the pond for a while and waited for a while.
There is one cause and one effect, but it is also a cycle.
"I will pray for your salvation this time. I hope you will be a good person in your next life!"
After Zhang Ling finished speaking, his true form was revealed. For a moment, fairy light appeared, divine rainbows sparkled, and rosy clouds surged. Soon, purple air covered the area, thousands of miles above the mortal world. The entire pond was shrouded in fairy mist and light, which was extraordinary and magical.
But the water ghost was bathed in gold and rising. Soon it disappeared into the underworld without even saying a goodbye.
Zhang Ling concealed his true form and stood quietly by the pond, pondering for a moment.
This was his first time to exorcise a water ghost, but he didn't think it was that troublesome.
It's just that there seems to be some connection between this water ghost and his afterlife, and I'm afraid there is some cause and effect involved.
In any case, a good cause is created tonight, but as to what the result will be, it all depends on the future fortune of the water ghost.
Zhang Ling put away his folding fan, waved his sleeves, and walked forward slowly under the evening breeze and bright moon.
No more words here.
——
Spring goes and summer comes, summer goes and autumn comes, the golden autumn brings coolness and colorful red leaves.
Zhang Ling walked for an unknown amount of time, crossing many mountains and rivers along the way. He saw many mountain spirits and monsters playing in the deep forests and distant mountains. He thought that the heavens were kind and benevolent, and that their becoming spirits and monsters was a matter of chance and destiny, so he didn't bother them too much. He just spoke a few words to them as they passed by, offering some guidance, hoping that they would cultivate goodness and soon achieve immortality.
The days passed quickly, and the clouds under the sky rolled and drifted day and night.
No matter whether it is a sunny day, a torrential rain, or a cloudy day with strong winds and loud thunder, nothing can stop the young man in blue from moving forward.
One day, Zhang Ling walked into the deep mountains and ancient forests, and suddenly he felt something.
But I saw a thatched hut in the distance with a donkey tied to the door. A family, consisting of a boy, a girl and a child, were coming in and out.
Zhang Ling looked with his magical eyes and saw that the donkey was actually a bamboo. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was an old friend!
It is a long-lasting bamboo!
How did it appear here and turned into a donkey?
Didn’t you say that you wanted to find fellow bamboo spirits, make friends with other bamboo spirits, and travel all over the world?
Zhang Ling looked at the family again, and found that their true form was actually a tree monster!
Their cultivation is neither too deep nor too shallow, having been around for two or three thousand years, and there is no aura of blood and disaster on their bodies. This place is thousands of miles away from where mortals live, so they are probably a family of tree demons who live in seclusion.
Zhang Ling walked forward quickly and saw a straw raincoat hanging outside the door. On the towering ancient tree on the right was a wooden boat hanging upside down. The family that the three tree monsters had transformed into also noticed the arrival of a young man in green clothes.
"Who are you? Leave immediately, strangers are not welcome here!"
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