Chapter 48 New and Old Hatred
Li Xianzhen, dusty and gloomy, rushed in and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Tian Xinshu standing tall in the center of the hall. Behind her followed Hua Yi, whose pale, thin face had been tanned. She was carrying a bundle, looking even more taciturn.
Tian Xinshu strode over and reached out to pull her sleeve again, but he didn't dare to really pull it. He hesitated and said, "Senior Sister, Yi'er!"
Li Xianzhen's hair had turned a lot whiter, and there were wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He stared at Tian Xinshu with disgust. Behind the screen, Cang Ming clutched his robe tightly and stared at Li Xianzhen with disgust.
Li Xianzhen's features bore a striking resemblance to the pottery figures of Li Chongshan and his wife. Hatred swept through Cang Ming like wildfire, so much so that for a moment she truly wished she were the unfortunate nemesis of the universe. Wei Ci's hand rested on her shoulder, warm as spring sunshine.
You Xiao squatted aside, clenched his hands into a tube shape and placed them in front of his eyes, carefully observing the movements of the outside world through the gaps.
Li Xianzhen pushed Tianxin Shu aside and followed the needle of the monster identification compass around and around until it finally stopped in front of the ghost official. She looked at the ghost official suspiciously, broke off a red candle from the wall, and carefully examined the compass for a while before saying, "Is that right?"
Looking over her shoulder, Cang Ming saw a lotus shape suddenly appear on the compass. The ghost official smiled sinisterly: "You've got the wrong person."
As soon as the lotus appeared, Tian Xinshu suddenly saw through the ghost official's identity. Suddenly, Tian Xinshu looked around nervously and anxiously, raised his hand and ordered the deputy general to come forward: "Drag this thing away and lock it up."
Li Xianzhen shouted, "Don't move!"
Tian Xinshu said tremblingly: "Senior Sister! He..."
Li Xianzhen pointed a red candle at the ghost official lying on the ground and cursed, "He's the dog official who stole my article!"
When these words were spoken, the whole audience was shocked.
Li Xianzhen frowned coldly and said sternly, "Okay, okay, you haven't changed at all in all these years, and I have fallen to this point..."
Tian Xinshu hesitated and said, "This person's face is so simple and fragmentary... How did you recognize him? Could you have made a mistake?"
The ghost official with a blurry face suddenly shouted: "There is someone on the east wall! There is someone on the east wall——"
With a bang, the screen was kicked away by Cang Ming. Tian Xinshu and the deputy general looked back and saw Cang Ming standing tall and handsome with a stern face, followed by a pretty boy with powerful magic. They all looked as if they had seen a ghost.
The compass in Li Xianzhen's hand began to spin wildly, and finally pointed at Cang Ming. The lotus pattern changed into a hexagonal snowflake.
Cang Ming whispered, "Wei Ci, protect You Xiao." Wei Ci hummed muffledly through his nose and casually set up a protective barrier for You Xiao.
Li Xianzhen stared at Cang Ming steadily, an incredulous smile slowly spreading across his face. "Little sister, it's you! Are you really here to help me?"
Cang Ming stared at her for a long time with a complicated expression, his face devoid of a smile. Li Xianzhen's smile froze, a look of confusion on his face: "Daoist sister, you don't recognize me? Am I too old and scared you? Are the pair of pottery figures I asked you to look after all okay?"
On the other side of the stone chamber, Tian Xinshu gritted his teeth and said to Cang Ming word by word, "Why, every time, it's you who destroys my cave."
Cang Ming smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either."
Wei Ci folded his arms gracefully and said, "What you need to deal with most urgently is the matter of your father, that old loser."
"Stop!" Tian Xinshu tried to stop him, but it was too late. The ghost official's face gradually turned back into a paper-mache, revealing his painted features. It was like a human skin mask being forcibly peeled off, and he grimaced in pain.
But Wei Ci just kept curling the corners of his lips and smiling cynically, without even raising his hands. His magic power had reached a superb level.
Old Guilian's hypocritical smile appeared in front of people.
Li Xianzhen's entire body trembled in disbelief, his eyes etched with rage. Hua Yi, clutching her head, screamed and fell to the side of the coffee table with a thud, her entire body shaking like a sieve. The deputy general hurried forward, offering gentle words of comfort.
"Kill him!" Li Xianzhen picked up a chair and swung it hard at Lao Guilian. Tian Xinshu screamed sharply, but was in a dilemma, not knowing whether he should stop him.
Because Old Guilian was tied up, he took a hard hit on the forehead, but he still laughed and said, "It's useless. Even if my head is smashed off, a new one will grow back."
Li Xianzhen roared, "Yier, what are you waiting for!" He threw down the chair and reached for the dagger hanging from his waist. Tian Xinshu hugged Li Xianzhen and knelt down, begging, "Senior Sister! You can stab him a hundred times, but... please spare his life."
Old Ghost Lian said with a pout, "Who wants to be stabbed a hundred times? Does anyone have a daughter like you?"
Tian Xinshu struggled with Li Xianzhen while turning back and shouting in despair, "Why did you do that to that child? And why did you become a scoundrel?"
"As a daughter, why do you always disagree with Daddy? Huh?" Old Ghost Lotus twisted like a maggot and sat up, sneering cruelly, "You built such a beautiful palace, but you didn't invite Daddy to live in it. I even got it here myself."
"So, are you one of them?" Cang Ming interrupted coldly, staring at Tian Xinshu with his piercing eyes. "Have you heard anything about the evil deeds your father and his master have committed in this mountain?"
"Which master!" Tian Xinshu completely exploded and yelled at Old Guilian, "What did you do outside again?"
Li Xianzhen, on the other hand, was persevering in breaking through Tian Xinshu's encirclement, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Beast!"
The scene was in chaos. You Xiao quietly crawled over and, along with his deputy, tended to the convulsing Hua Yi. Cang Ming rubbed his brow in pain, feeling that the case was too complex and difficult to solve. He thought it would be better to just kill Old Gui Lian.
However, Cang Ming was not sure whether his merits would be lost and he would never be able to become a god if he slaughtered the demons without a thorough investigation.
She suppressed her irritation and decided to stick with the usual routine. Then, unexpectedly, she unleashed a handful of yellow leaf talismans, soaring into the air. She swung her sword diagonally downwards, and with a single move, "Flowing Wind Returning Snow," the yellow talismans spiraled down like a tornado, freezing Tian Xinshu and Li Xianzhen in place. Then, a hexagonal snowflake formation descended from the sky like a fishing net, trapping the two in its center.
Wei Ci's eyes lit up, and he silently gazed at Cang Ming's figure, clapping his hands in admiration and saying, "General, you move so smoothly and effortlessly, you are indeed more agile and stronger than before."
Cang Ming pointed his sword at Old Gui Lian and said righteously, "Your crime has been compounded. Tell us the truth about your official career!"
Old Guilian said slowly, "Yes, thanks to my talent and strategy, I have already held an important position and enjoy a high position and generous salary. If you kill me, the court will be furious. If the court orders the extermination of all Taoists in the world, don't blame me for not warning you."
Cang Ming said coldly: "Don't be so presumptuous. Does the imperial court still care about this immortal?"
Old Ghost Lotus said, "Not only that. Perhaps even the gods will be enraged. Do you think the current emperor has no connection with the world of gods and ghosts?"
"You don't have to threaten me with such outrageous words." Cang Ming said calmly, "You are a dog official, so who was that person in official uniform just now?"
Old Guilian chuckled: "That's my grandson."
Wei Ci sneered. Cang Ming glanced at Tian Xinshu and asked, "Your grandson? Isn't that Tian Xinshu's..."
Tian Xinshu's eyes turned rapidly, he was furious, and maintained a tangle with Li Xianzhen.
Old Guilian said, "No. My son is also me, and my grandson is also me."
Wei Ci touched his chin meaningfully, and Cang Ming suddenly understood: "You must have changed your face every ten years or so, pretending to be the heir to your father's career... so that you can hold this position forever!"
Old Guilian snorted, agreeing. Wei Ci praised, "Following the general, we can also learn some strategies."
Cang Ming smiled at him, and Tian Xinshu looked like he wanted to kill again. Cang Ming held the jar in one hand and said to Lao Guilian, "What scandals did you commit while an official? Are there any innocent people hiding in your residence? Tell the truth immediately!"
Old Guilian suddenly raised his head in humiliation and shouted, "What's wrong with me being an official? I'm not worthy of a mere official position in the human world!"
Wei Ci sighed and said, "One moment he was a ghost official, the next moment he was a commoner mining the mountains."
Old Guilian simply couldn't hold back his anger. He cursed, filled with grief and indignation, "Others paid to buy official positions! But I was exposed for simply stealing a passage, nailed to the pillar of shame, and it took a tremendous amount of effort to clear myself of this!"
Cang Ming was so angry that he almost laughed: "Just tell me whether you stole it or not."
Old Guilian's eyes were bloodshot as he said bitterly, "Everyone else is stealing, why are you only targeting me? I won't accept it. I want to succeed so badly, so badly!"
"Why do you have to be an official?" Cang Ming shook his head and sighed, "You already have more gold and silver than you can spend."
"What's money? Power is the truly useful thing." Old Ghost Lotus looked deep into Cang Ming's eyes and seduced him softly, "With power, I can revise the current criminal laws. Men who play with young boys and girls won't have to go to jail. Isn't that good?"
Cang Ming was almost taken aback, the tip of his sword pointed at his throat, furious: "You mean to say that you, a rapist, murderer, and looter, actually participated in the crime of rape, murder, and looting under the laws of this dynasty!"
The lecherous thief exhorted in a voice that sounded almost like singing or chanting, "You, an immortal, have fallen into such disgrace that you are no better than a commoner. Why don't you abandon the dark side and join my army? The fame and wealth you desire will be easily achieved."
Before he could start singing those disturbing little tunes, Cang Ming slapped Old Guilian's mouth with the blade of his sword: "Behave yourself!"
"General, if you want something, just give it to me. Some people really overestimate their abilities." Wei Ci said nonchalantly, "General, he won't tell the truth. Just arrest him."
Cang Ming nodded: "Alright, we will go to his official residence and search for the living person ourselves."
With a bang, white smoke billowed from the hexagonal snowflake formation. For a moment, Cang Ming thought the snow sculpture had exploded. Then, Tian Xinshu emerged from the smoke, carrying frost. With one hand, he untied the yellow talisman from Li Xianzhen's body, and with the other, he summoned stones from the ground.
Rocks of all sizes flew into the air, clattering into a giant skeleton formation. The skeletons opened their hollow mouths and bit towards Cang Ming.
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