Chapter 263
When Yuan Jing and his party just entered the county town, they were discovered by the bird sent by Huang Li and reported back to her. Huang Li was shocked. How could they come back alive?
Before she left the county, she watched from afar for a while and found that Wei Mo and Qing Li had indeed fought with the black snake demon. She didn't believe that the two could escape from the black snake demon, but how could they come back alive? Or did something go wrong?
Huang Li did not dare to go out to check immediately. She waited until midnight, then she changed into her original form and flew out of the county town and into the deep mountains. After searching for a long time, she found that the breath of the black snake demon had disappeared. It turned out that there was still some extremely strong and masculine thunder-attributed breath left in the place where the fight had taken place. Could it be that Wei Mo and Qingli had helpers?
Huang Li was worried. She didn't know whether Qingli and Wei Mo had discovered that she was the one who had brought the black snake demon here just to deal with the little Taoist priest.
Huang Li stayed at the fighting site for a long time, and finally made up her mind to return to the county town. Not to mention that Ding Lang was waiting for her at his home in the county town, and Wei Mo and Qing Li had no evidence, so how could they dare to say that she did it? Besides, she knew the temperament of these two monsters, and they would never attack their own kind.
Normally, such a temperament would have seemed too weak to her, but now it was very beneficial to her.
Thinking of this, she flapped her wings and flew back, but just at the foot of the county town, Huang Li saw two figures standing there, releasing evil spirits towards her without any concealment. They were Qing Li and Wei Mo. Huang Li knew that her whereabouts had been discovered, so she had to land and transform into human form.
"Brother Qing and Brother Wei, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"We should be the ones asking you this question," Qing Li was more resolute than Wei Mo. He said bluntly, "You flew into the mountains in the middle of the night to find out whether the black snake demon was alive or dead, right?"
Huang Li's heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't admit it: "I was just bored in the middle of the night, so I flew out to relax."
"Oh," Qing Li sneered, "Why bother hiding it? The black snake demon told us everything during the day. We are the first ones he wants to deal with. After dealing with us, he will take action against Taoist Yuan Xiao, and by the way, eat you, the oriole. He said that he had long seen that you were just using him, so it was natural for him to eat you. Huang Li, do you still want to quibble?"
"Brother Qing, the black snake demon framed me and wanted to sow discord between us as siblings." Huang Li refused to admit it.
"Brother-sister relationship?" Wei Mo was becoming more and more disappointed with Huang Li. He didn't expect that Huang Li would still be so cunning at this time. How much truth had he told him as his brother in the past?
He still remembered the kindness of Huang Li who often came to accompany him before he transformed, but Huang Li wanted to give him to the black snake demon, "I thought our brother-sister relationship was over. If you mention brother-sister relationship now, it will only remind me of your hatefulness."
"I don't know what you are talking about. I'm going into the city. We can talk about it later." Huang Li was eager to get rid of these two monsters.
"Don't you want to know whether the black snake demon is dead or alive now? Don't you want to know how we came back from the mountain alive? Of course, we know you don't want to know, but don't use the banner of brotherly and sisterly love in the future. As a witness by Heaven, you have nothing to do with us from now on!" Qingli said behind Huang Li.
Huang Li staggered for a moment, but finally turned into a yellow bird and flew back to the city, resisting the urge to get to the bottom of the matter.
Looking at the direction where she disappeared, Wei Mo sighed and said, "Her aura has become more complex. I really don't understand her."
"We don't need to understand her anymore. We are not on the same path. It's better to recognize it sooner rather than later."
"Yes, let's go back." Wei Mo saw through Huang Li's selfish and ruthless nature and would no longer linger.
The next day, Taoist Qingfeng found an excuse to meet Ding Laosan with his apprentice. With his experience, he could tell at a glance that Ding Laosan was hanging out with the yellow bird monster.
Although he knew from Yuan Jing and Ji Jinghuai that the scholar had a bad character, based on his principles, Taoist Qingfeng still stepped forward and kindly reminded Ding Laosan, but was driven away by Ding Laosan.
"Brother Ding, could it be that you have really been entangled by a little goblin, and she is sucking your yang energy every day? Haha, Brother Ding is really lucky." Ding Qishan's classmate joked.
Ding Qishan has been very disgusted with Taoist priests recently: "They are all fake Taoist priests who pretend to be gods and ghosts. They only know how to tell nonsense and cheat people of their money. Let's not talk about this anymore. The good date for Li Niang and I to get married has been decided. You must come to have a drink at the wedding."
His classmates winked at him, "So that's how it is. We know now. Haha, let me congratulate Brother Ding for finally getting his beautiful wife. Looking around the entire county, no, even in the city, there is no woman more beautiful than Li Niang. Brother Ding is really lucky."
After Ding Qishan left, these classmates changed their attitudes again.
"We didn't know how his previous wife divorced him, but we didn't expect the Ding family to be so cruel and want to kill Yang. Yang's father was Ding Qishan's mentor."
"I heard that Huang Li had a falling out with her brother, Master Wei. I also heard that they were not biological siblings, but Master Wei knew about the Ding family's affairs and did not agree with Huang Li and Ding Qishan being together, so Huang Li moved out of the Wei residence."
"Such a woman is simply..." The impression of Huang Li in the minds of these scholars quickly dropped. They would never marry such a woman as it would ruin the entire family tradition. Of course, they respected Master Wei very much. Master Wei was not only talented but also respected by them for his character. If there were scholars from poor families, Master Wei would secretly support them.
Taoist Qingfeng returned to his residence and said to Yuan Jing with a wry smile: "Ding Qishan didn't believe me and thought I was a fake Taoist who was playing tricks."
Yuan Jing smiled and said, "I expected that. He just fell into the hands of the Taoist priest. How could he be happy to see the Taoist priest again? Let's set off now."
"good."
Taoist Qingfeng decided to come back after a while to check on Ding Qishan's situation. During this period of time, he would teach him a lesson. In the short term, Ding Qishan's life would be safe, because it can be seen that Huang Li is still sincere to Ding Qishan, but how long can such sincerity last?
They were leaving, and Wei Mo and Qing Li were actually reluctant to let them go. It was rare to meet such a Taoist priest who could clearly distinguish right from wrong, good from evil. Before leaving, Yuan Jing still gave them a jade pendant that could help them, especially Wei Mo, conceal their aura. Taoist Qingfeng also told them that if they had any business, they could go to Qingcheng Temple and just report his Taoist name.
Wei Mo and Qing Li thanked him again and again.
Yuan Jing and his party left the county and headed for Qingcheng Temple. The county behind them was guarded by the two monsters Wei Mo and Qing Li. Huang Li did not have the courage to do evil, so there was no need to worry about the safety of the people inside and outside the county.
Yang, who left with them, couldn't help but look back. After all, this was her hometown. However, she also knew that it was not easy for a divorced orphan like her to survive here, so it was better for her to leave with the Prince of Ningyuan.
She thought about it and found it ironic. All the guards around Ji Jinghuai knew that the woman Ding Qishan liked now was actually a witch. At first, the Ding family and Ding Qishan wanted to frame her as a witch and kill her, but then he turned around and found a witch himself. How could Ding Qishan, who was hanging out with a witch, have a good ending in the end?
Yang thought this result was great, and it was what the Ding family got for what they wanted. But she wondered how Ding Qishan would feel when he found out that the woman next to him was actually a demon.
"Don't be attached to that kind of man anymore. How can that man have a good ending if he gets involved with a monster? I heard that even if he doesn't die, his body will get worse. Think about it, his yang energy has been sucked away by the monster, so won't his body get worse? Besides, it's not a good monster." The old woman who accompanied Yang whispered to persuade. They had broadened their horizons by following the prince. People like Huang Li, whether they are human or monster, are not good people.
"Well, I won't miss him anymore. I almost died because of him. Now I feel good to be alive."
"That's right." The old woman patted her hands with satisfaction.
After traveling for two days and two nights, they finally arrived at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, where the Qingcheng Taoist Temple was located.
The Qingcheng Taoist Temple is much larger than the Liuzhuang Taoist Temple where Yuan Jing is located. There are dozens of disciples alone, unlike the Liuzhuang Taoist Temple which only has Yuan Jing and his two disciples. Therefore, the Qingcheng Taoist Temple is quite famous, and there are many lay believers who come to burn incense nearby. As a result, a market town has been formed at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain, specializing in business with passers-by.
There is a lake at the foot of the mountain with many lotus flowers in it. The lotus flowers are in full bloom at this time of year, which has also attracted many tourists to Qingcheng Town at the foot of the mountain.
Taoist Ninghe walked quickly to the lake, put his hand into the lake and called out a name softly. Yuan Jing leaned over to take a look, and soon saw a red koi swimming over. The koi touched the back of Taoist Ninghe's hand affectionately with its mouth and played with him.
Taoist Qingfeng smiled and said, "That's what Ning He kept in the lake. No one else can make that koi come out of the water except Ning He."
Yuan Jing smiled and said, "Ninghe, my nephew, is a pure-hearted person. Look at this koi. It has become spiritual and can distinguish between good and evil."
Taoist Qingfeng was very happy, but Ji Jinghuai's mouth twitched when he heard it. Yuan Jing was obviously much younger than Taoist Ninghe, but he commented on Ninghe with Taoist Qingfeng in such a serious tone of an elder, which sounded very strange.
He also wanted to go and see the awakened koi demon, but he knew that the demon would shrink back in fright if he went over. It was just a thought. Anyway, he had gained a lot of knowledge recently and could also establish a relationship with the Qingcheng Taoist Temple. If he really ran into any trouble in the future and couldn't find Taoist Priest Yuan, he would come to the Qingcheng Temple and believed he would be able to get help.
When Ning He came back, he brought back several lotus pods and shared them with everyone: "These are the best lotus pods selected by Xiaohong. You can have a try."
Yuan Jing took a lotus pod and said, "It has a faint spiritual energy, which is really good. Ordinary people can benefit a lot from eating it. I will give this one to Sister Yang."
He handed his branch to Yang. Yang's health had been badly damaged in the Ding family and she needed some nourishment, otherwise it would affect her lifespan.
Yang was too embarrassed to accept it, but Ning He and the others persuaded her that such lotus seeds were just to satisfy Yuan Jing's craving but not as useful as those for ordinary people. Only then did Yang accept it with gratitude. As for Ji Jinghuai and the others, they grabbed them tightly immediately, not wanting to waste a single one. They ate a few themselves and took the rest back to let the elders at home taste them.
Just as he handed over the lotus pod, Yuan Jing looked up and saw a bald young monk and a Taoist priest hurriedly coming down the mountain.
Sure enough, the little monk and he were in sync and came to the Qingcheng Taoist Temple to wait for him. Yuan Jing stood up happily and waved over there. The little monk saw it and quickened his pace to come over.
When they met again, they talked excitedly, ignoring everyone else. They hadn't seen each other for several years, but they kept in touch through letters and didn't feel any sense of strangeness at all.
"How many days have you been here?"
"It's been two days. I finally managed to get out of the temple. I completed the task assigned by Master a long time ago, but Master wouldn't let me out. I sneaked out with the help of my senior brother. But I left a letter for Master, saying that I wanted to come out and experience the trials like you."
"Then your master will definitely be furious when he sees the letter."
"It's okay, it's okay. Anyway, my six senses are not pure. If Master really has objections, then I might as well return to secular life. I can still eat meat and drink wine to my heart's content."
"Your master will be even more furious when he hears this. In fact, returning to secular life is quite good. You see, we in the Taoist sect don't have so many rules. Why don't you change your career and join our Taoist sect?"
…
Taoist Qingfeng and Ji Jinghuai twitched their lips when they heard this, thinking that the little monk's master was really unlucky. Not only was he angry with his disciple, but he was also poached by the little Taoist Yuan Jing. However, for Taoist Qingfeng, it was also good to be able to recruit the little monk into the Taoist sect. Although there was cooperation between Taoism and Buddhism, there was more competition. It was good to be able to suppress Buddhism.
They listened here for a while, and the relationship between the two people over there changed again. One reached out to touch the bald head of the other, and the other pulled the little bun on the head of this side. They were having a lot of fun and even chased and fought.
Ning He was speechless and said, "I didn't expect Junior Master Yuan to have a childish side. I almost thought he just looked younger. In fact, he is older than me."
Ji Jinghuai felt the same way. He had always thought that he was communicating with people of the same age, but now seeing this side of him, he realized that Taoist Yuan had this side. It was obvious that he and the little monk had a really good relationship.
When they came back, the young Taoist priest and the young monk had red faces and some sweat on them. After talking for a while, they went up the mountain. Ji Jinghuai only brought two guards with him, and the others were arranged in the guest house of the Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain.
The scenery of Qingcheng Mountain is much more beautiful than the mountain on the Liuzhuang side. I climbed up the mountain while enjoying the scenery. Time passed quickly and I didn’t feel tired at all.
When they reached the top of the mountain, Yuan Jing, led by Taoist Qingfeng, met the abbot of Qingcheng Temple. The abbot was about the same age as his master, and had a bit of a youthful look to him. Except for his white hair and beard, his face did not look old.
The master looked at Yuan Jing with a very kind look: "Bixu has been hiding his disciples and not bringing them out to meet us. I thought so. If it were me, I would have to hide myself too. When I show up, I will definitely shock a lot of people."
"Qingfeng has written about your experience of exterminating demons on the road in the letter. Although Yuan Jing is young, he is very determined and has done a good job. I have the same idea as your master. I don't want to kill all the demons and ghosts. There are reasons for the existence of all things in the world. Some demons are just like us cultivators, working towards that goal. We are considered to be fellow practitioners."
"But you should have heard of the reputation of Taoist Master Ling Xiao Yuan Jing in the capital. Taoist Master Ling Xiao represents the views of another group of practitioners. They believe that humans and ghosts have different paths, and humans and demons have different paths. All ghosts, monsters, and demons must be eliminated. At present, because Taoist Master Ling Xiao has been conferred a title by the court, they have the upper hand and the luck of the court, so it is not easy for us to confront them head-on."
"But there is no need to back down when things get tough. We just need to stick to our own Daoist principles and have a clear conscience. Ling Xiao is too extreme. I believe that he will suffer the consequences one day."
Yuan Jing nodded, but he felt that the temple master only saw the surface. The temple master might not know what Taoist Ling Xiao did behind his back. He always felt that Ling Xiao's purpose in accepting the position of National Master was not simple.
He was not in a hurry because he knew that one day he would go to the capital to meet Taoist Ling Xiao.
The abbot asked Yuan Jing to stay at the Qingcheng Taoist Temple for a while. In fact, the so-called sending of letters was just a pretext. If there was really important matters, they would have contacted through messages long ago.
Yuan Jing certainly understood, so he decided to stay for a while longer to exchange Taoist techniques with the Taoist priests in Qingcheng Temple and learn from their strengths.
But he could stay, but Ji Jinghuai might not be willing to stay here for too long, so after Yuan Jing had tidied up his own residence, he went down the mountain with Funeng. Ji Jinghuai and the others went up the mountain to burn incense and then went down again.
Yuan Jing met Ji Jinghuai, explained his intentions and asked him about his plans.
Ji Jinghuai actually expected this. Being able to accompany Yuan Jing for such a long time and witnessing so many strange people and things was beyond his expectations, so he did not force Yuan Jing to leave with him.
He said, "I have been away from Beijing for quite some time. I received a letter from Beijing urging me to return. After saying goodbye to Taoist Yuan Xiao, I will set off. This is my token. When Taoist Yuan Xiao and Master Funeng arrive in Beijing, you can come to Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion to find me with this token. I will do my best to be a good host."
"Okay, we will definitely go."
Yuan Jing also gave Ji Jinghuai some talismans to ensure his safety and self-defense, so that he could return to the capital safely.
After finally seeing Ji Jinghuai and his party off, Funeng was happy. He felt so jealous when he saw Yuan Jing still thinking about this pretty boy. If he hadn't secretly run away from Guiyuan Temple, would Yuan Jing have continued traveling with this pretty boy?
Now Yuan Jing has finally separated from this pretty boy.
Actually, he and Yuan Jing only spent a short time together when they first met, but he felt that he got along well with him. He was happy to see him and missed him when they were apart. He never forgot him for a single day. He even looked forward to going out with him to experience life, catch ghosts and eliminate monsters, and travel all over the mountains and rivers of the Great Zhou.
In order to achieve this goal, he practiced diligently day and night, for fear of falling behind Yuan Jing and holding him back.
Now, his strength among his peers is outstanding.
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