The dog days of summer, which should be scorching hot under the blazing sun, a time when one would normally only think of sitting in the shade and drinking a sip of cool water, are now quite the opposite.
Let alone the white expanse outside, even inside a house with a fire burning and the door slightly ajar, one would feel a chill run through their body.
The county magistrate, wearing a thick coat, stood in the wind and snow. Not a single black hair was visible on his head; it was unclear whether the snow had turned his hair white or from worry.
Outside the house, a group of Taoist masters dressed in various colored robes gathered, holding peach wood swords or talismans.
"retreat!"
One day, the master, dressed in a purple-gold robe, shouted loudly, and the talisman in his hand spontaneously combusted.
As the talisman burned to ashes, the Heavenly Master's peach wood sword flailed wildly in the air, like scribbles.
After a short while, the Taoist priest stopped.
"I have broken the barrier here, and the June Snow will no longer fly into this place. County Chief, are you satisfied?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the snowflakes dancing in the air suddenly stopped, and even the snow under the feet of the Taoist master melted a bit.
"Excellent, wonderful!"
"As expected of Master Zhao, his skill is profound and truly remarkable!"
"Master Zhao is truly a great sage of our Dao!"
...
The other Celestial Masters around him were all amazed by Celestial Master Zhao's magical abilities and kept praising him.
Zhao Tianshi was enjoying being surrounded by the crowd, squinting his eyes and stroking his beard with a grin.
The county magistrate pondered for a moment, then remained silent.
He knew that he was ignorant and could not understand the actions of these Taoist masters, otherwise he would not have been deceived in the past.
"Does the county magistrate have any doubts?"
Master Zhao could tell that the county magistrate was not very willing to believe him, so he pointed it out directly.
"No, no, esteemed Celestial Masters, it is truly due to my limited knowledge that I was deceived by thieves and lost a great deal of money."
The county magistrate sighed. He was no longer interested in these Taoist masters, but he couldn't find any other way and was at a loss.
"It's just an ordinary fire-ignition talisman."
Ming Huan, standing in the crowd, pursed his lips and said in a low voice.
He was still wearing a thin robe, but for Bi Fang, the cold weather was not a big problem.
Tang Nian, on the other hand, was completely covered up in a large cloak she had just bought.
Since the case in Yingzhou City came to an end, the two of them rushed here without stopping. They originally wanted to return to the Xiangliu tribe before winter, but they did not expect that in the hot summer, the state was covered in snow.
Tang Nian shivered; she felt lethargic as the weather turned cold.
But that didn't stop her from standing in the crowd and watching the show.
She had witnessed all of Master Zhao's magic.
In her view, these Taoist masters were nothing more than charlatans who wanted to take advantage of the unusual situation in the city to extort money from the county magistrate.
Since the county magistrate, as the local official, couldn't solve the problem, he had no choice but to listen to these Taoist masters.
If it weren't for their official positions, these swindlers would have been more cautious and had been swindled out of everything.
Now that monsters are rampant in the Great Chu, all these swindlers have emerged, hoping to make a fortune, and even some factions have sprung up.
She was stunned when she arrived in this prefecture.
As she was thinking, Tang Nian also came to the group of Taoist masters.
Upon seeing Tang Nian suddenly burst into the execution ground, the group of Taoist priests immediately surrounded her.
"What are you doing here, little girl?"
"That's right, we have important matters to discuss with the county magistrate, so please don't disturb us!"
Tang Nian ignored the rebukes from these celestial masters.
Tang Nian nodded slightly to the county magistrate and said:
"My name is Tang Nian."
"Who are you, little girl? I've never heard of you before. Let me advise you again, do not disturb us!"
The leader, Master Zhao, stepped forward, attempting to intimidate others with his power.
Tang Nian snorted coldly. As expected, they were all unorthodox methods. In this Great Chu, could there be a Celestial Master who didn't recognize her name?
She was not afraid at all. With a wave of her hand, a fire talisman appeared in her hand.
Master Zhao was also a legitimate Celestial Master who had learned some talismans and exorcisms, but he was expelled from the sect a long time ago because of his evil intentions.
With such a good "skill", how could he be willing to go back to his previous ordinary life?
After discovering that monsters had suddenly appeared and were causing chaos in various parts of the Great Chu, he gathered a group of disciples and tricked and deceived his way here.
He intended to continue his scam using the same methods as before, but upon seeing the talisman in Tang Nian's hand, he froze on the spot.
I wondered whose younger generation was trying to steal my business.
“Magistrate, I also know a little about this little Taoist method of burning fire to ward off the cold. Look at this talisman in my hand.”
The county magistrate looked closely and realized that this was the same talisman used by Master Zhao earlier.
"This is a fire-burning talisman. If it burns out in the air like this, it can dispel the surrounding cold and dampness, and naturally stop the snow and melt the ice!"
As soon as Tang Nian finished speaking, the talisman spontaneously combusted, just like the scene when Master Zhao had just performed the spell.
It was even more effective than that of Master Zhao.
"Little brat, you!"
Only then did Master Zhao realize that Tang Nian had come to cause trouble!
"What, is this all the tricks you know? Why don't you take a look at what I have here?"
Tang Nian waved his right hand, and various low-level talismans appeared in his hand.
"you……"
It's true what they say, you don't check the almanac before going out; even a fake Taoist priest can run into ghosts.
"Get out of here!"
Tang Nian snorted coldly, and the group of Taoist masters immediately slunk away.
As the group of fake Taoist priests walked away, Tang Nian turned around and found the county magistrate staring at her intently, making her feel uneasy.
"Please, Your Excellency, save my people!"
The county magistrate bowed to Tang Nian, his body almost parallel to the ground.
Tang Nian couldn't accept such a grand gesture and quickly stepped aside.
Ming Huan then stepped forward to help the prefect up.
“Your Excellency, there’s no need for that. We just happened to be passing by, and it was only right that we stepped forward to help those in need.”
As she spoke, Tang Nian sensed the interior and exterior of the house.
Strangely, no matter how Tang Nian investigated, she could not sense even the slightest trace of demonic energy.
Could it be that there's something supernatural behind this unusual heavy snowfall?
"Please come in quickly, gentlemen. This is not the place to talk. Why don't you come to my humble abode as guests, so that I can properly entertain you?"
The county magistrate invited Tang Nian and Ming Huan to his home. Unable to find any clues, Tang Nian simply did not refuse and followed Ming Huan inside.
Before long, Tang Nian and Ming Huan entered the inner room, led by the county magistrate.
To be honest, for a county magistrate, his residence was rather shabby.
There weren't even a few decent ornaments, and the 'feast' that was supposed to frighten the two of them was nothing more than some home-cooked dishes.
However, Tang Nian understood immediately upon seeing the square patch that was inadvertently visible on the county magistrate's clothes.
He is truly an incorruptible and honest official.
In truth, the northern prefectures and counties were not under the jurisdiction of the Great Chu; they were merely independent towns that were dependent on the Great Chu, hence the existence of prefectures, counties, and county heads.
The imperial court only provides the most basic salary, and if anything happens, the county magistrate and the people have to pay for it together.
No wonder it has come to this.
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