Chapter 64 "The Little Taoist Priest" "Three strokes and the fierce god is killed, what ghost dares to appear..."
The third act of the theatrical version, which unfolded after the death of a pair of paper figures, gradually faded from my mind. The sound of the film reel suddenly stopped, leaving only the emptiness and desolation of the closing of the Chinese underworld shadow puppet show.
[With "humanity" illuminated, the Six Paths of Reincarnation mission is 50% complete √]
The black-haired, wiping youth opened his eyes and wiped the sweat from his body. With the pain of his bones being repaired, his hands touched a 'script' that had materialized in reality for the first time.
And the little bald head system's voice also caught up for the first time, slightly more urgently.
Are you alright?
Are you alright? QAQ
Are you alright?
Jane Dieda, who was almost drowning in the tears of life and death from the previous world, suddenly wanted to give a sword to this strange and anxious concern.
He pulled out a notebook of tired jokes he'd kept under the covers for 24 years: "It's okay, I have Liuliumei."
Bald guy: "..."
"What's wrong with me?" With a wet nose, Jane the Unhappy Cat, the Night Owl, seemed to have completely forgotten the humane plot: "How many NPC cards did I get this round? Did the live stream crash?"
The system hasn't commented, so it seems the bug where the host tried to save the game by committing suicide before completing it, almost causing the console to crash, is over...
The narrator went to comfort the other side, and the little bald man didn't say much. He observed the host for a few moments, then disappeared from his mind without saying a word.
After resting for a few more days amidst strange cardiac arrest, Jian Dieda finished looking at the blueprints for several real-life murder mystery game shops that he had impulsively decided to open last week. It rained on the 3rd, and the cold weather made his stomach feel empty and his mood even worse. Wearing a mask and hat, Jian Dieda took the subway that day. Fatty Ding, who was rushing to meet him, asked him from across the street from the hot pot restaurant, "Senior, have you recently broken up with your boyfriend?"
Jian Dieda looked at the young couple diagonally opposite him.
After a long pause, he replied, "It's not heartbreak."
He just...
It's as if the sincerity I received for the first time in my life was so heartlessly discarded in another world.
Maybe he really did lie.
Something's come up.
He was very busy, but he "carelessly" forgot someone, which made him not want to live anymore.
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Even the hottest hot pot could leave you feeling utterly unhappy; no one would be pleased. Jian Dieda's WeChat lit up twice after he got home.
As usual, the lights were off, and Jian Dieda sat by the window.
He saw the laptop screen was lit up, the pause button frozen on an old Hong Kong zombie movie he had seen before leaving the house.
The story is very cliché these days. A group of people are catching a demon in an ancient town, and nine sects send people into the mountains, including Taoist priests, monks, nuns, and even a Japanese illusionist. From God's perspective, it seems that everyone is doomed, because the paper bride with a weeping smile on the movie poster has already spoiled the ending of this bad movie.
But to be honest, Jane Dieda felt that the script at least had enough blood and atmosphere. In particular, the aesthetics of the past films emphasized the allure and eeriness of unspoken words, unlike the ghost films of today. The main plot was not given so directly, leaving a lot of room for people to think about it and get more and more creeped out.
For example, the "Hostel" plot at the beginning... Even though he had been watching for twenty minutes, he still hadn't figured out who would be the first to die in the demon-catching team.
He closed his eyes and tried to continue guessing, using his professional knowledge as a screenwriter and writer. Just then, he was interrupted by two messages from the real world. When he picked them up to look at them, one of them was from the old man who had invited him to a private gathering at his home.
It was noted that my son would soon be discharged from the hospital, and this was a meeting he had invited young writers to attend in person.
Secondly, there was a photo of the young master's back sent by Fatty Ding, along with a dozen pages of PPT resembling a blind date profile: "Senior brother!! Catch this overwhelming fortune, the legendary boss says he wants to see you!!"
Jian Dieda: ...
Can we not...?
It's a high-class gathering where you have to wear suits, not hoodies, and wear masks and glasses—I'm doomed, I'm hopeless.
At that moment, the little black notebook he had obtained from playing games all night was beside him. Unfortunately, the instant Jian Dieda showed a resistant expression, his true thoughts intersected with some strange plot lines from a detective story.
"I am Jian Burang, a descendant of Maoshan! Headless ghost, show yourself at once!"
"Where do you think you're going to run to!"
"Heaven is round and earth is square, and laws and regulations are in nine chapters."
"When I put pen to paper, all ghosts will hide in fear."
"The Second Master's Sword, please summon the gods and mobilize the heavenly soldiers."
“With three strokes, the fierce god is killed; what ghost dares to see him, what demon dares to face him?”
"The Three Pure Ones above respond to the mind below; Heaven is clear and Earth is spiritual."
"Break—Break—Break!"
"Ah...ah...you killed me—"
"Player Card: Little Taoist Jian Burang No. 1927 is offline."
"New player: Little Taoist Jian Burang No. 1928 has logged in."
"The player's last words: Don't...don't get...eaten by that!"
Meanwhile, in Qingyang Ancient Town.
In this small, bustling place, a bolt of blue lightning suddenly descended from the sky.
A group of soldiers were escorting a sobbing woman in a cheongsam to the county government office with an air of authority when suddenly, everyone on the street stopped in their tracks. The lead constable, Zhao Laosi, stared in astonishment at the roof of the only temple in the county, the Sanqing Temple. Good heavens! Just now! A living person fell from the sky! Did they land right in front of Laozi's throne?!
He was flustered. He looked at the guilty women in the group and gruffly ordered his men to quickly open the gates of the Sanqing Temple to see who this deity had fallen from the sky.
"Open the door!! We're soldiers! Move! Search us quickly!!"
Jian Dieda heard someone shouting from a place where he couldn't see with his eyes closed. His face twitched and his whole body ached. He swung his arm, which was holding a peach wood sword, and saw an unbelievable chaotic scene. This made him realize that this fourth world was of great significance. He saw that the decoration above his head resembled that of a Taoist temple, and in front of him stood a statue of Zhenwu the Great, a traditional Taoist deity. People within a hundred miles of the temple could rest easy if they could worship his statue. This was the so-called "Taoist Lord's presence, making one immune to all poisons."
But that's not right.
He should be at home, writing a novel on his computer, not in some ancient Taoist temple of an indeterminate era. He shouldn't be staring blankly, unable to hear the lewd system voice telling him which murder mystery NPC he'd be playing this time—
To make matters worse, soldiers were closing in on him in a circle. A burly, blue-faced man dressed as a constable was leading the group. At the entrance of the Taoist temple, a woman in red, adorned with evil talismans, was chained to shackles, her face filled with sorrow. As everyone stared at each other, the atmosphere in the small Taoist temple became extremely tense, as if Jian Dieda was the one who should be the one with the yellow talisman and arrested.
Zhao Laosi shouted angrily, "Who are you! Why did you suddenly fall from the sky with lightning when we were arresting the female demon Xiaomei at the Qingyang County government office!"
What? Falling from the sky? To catch a demon?
The soldiers in the ancient town used their expressions to explain who Xiaomei was. This woman in red was originally a famous courtesan admired by the local gentry and literati. Last year, she left the profession and married a young man. Less than three months later, her husband died mysteriously. Heartbroken, she remarried an eighty-year-old wealthy man. However, the wealthy man was also killed by a monster, and it was said that his death was no different from that of her former husband.
One death can be attributed to a beautiful woman causing trouble, but these two murders are so similar that Xiaomei must be suspected of being a "demon"!
The young widow, Xiaomei, with a flower tucked behind her ear, covered her face and wept, saying, "Look at my unfortunate fate, having lost two husbands! How am I supposed to know how those dead men who liked me lost their lives? Perhaps they were eaten by fanged mountain demons while on business. Now they're all gone, leaving me alone in this empty house. I'm a widow twice after my wedding. Since this Taoist priest has come by fate, please be kind enough to save me and marry me..."
Jane Dieda's pupils contracted: "..." No way, please let me go!
Jian Dieda instinctively wanted to run, but when he raised his hand, the peach wood sword he had just used fell to the ground in front of Zhenwu Emperor again. He looked closely at the blue-gray robe on his body, and as he stood up, he seemed to realize something.
First, the interior of this temple is painted entirely red, resembling the appearance of a dead person who has been skinned alive.
Second, although as the number one virgin in the Chinese server, he was unlikely to remember a woman's name, now that he thinks back, the name Xiaomei seems to be the same as the female ghost's past life in that movie about catching demons in an ancient town.
Third, the unreliable system has honed his ability to explore scripts and plots.
Fourth, he saw a line of large characters on the back of the sword.
—A purple-yellow chicken-shaped redwood demon-catching sword personally crafted by Taoist priest Jian Burang, a descendant of Maoshan.
What is a demon?
These are the evil spirits and demons that demon hunters fear most in this world.
Demons come in five colors.
Black is the best.
Purple is the fourth grade.
The one who left the red blood curse was the King of Demons.
This is the "Formless Ghost" mentioned in the movie, a female demon from a desolate village who skinned countless people.
Without him staying up all night, all these plot clues were given in the first twenty minutes.
At this moment, perhaps in the distant, dark room, a little creature named 'Tongzi' finally sensed that its host was about to be killed, and it made its belated first appearance.
Jane felt snowflakes appear in front of her eyes.
All the NPCs were frozen in place, their faces showing blurry, distorted antenna interference lines.
He cannot escape this world.
He asked, panting heavily.
"The system? Is this the fourth world?"
Tongzi delayed again, his tone strange, "Yes... this is the fourth gate of the Six Paths, the 'Asura Path'."
Jane Dieda: "Why did you start the game early?"
System: "...Not in advance."
"It's a bug..."
"Host, you came here on your own initiative... Your love-struck brain, which's probably malfunctioning from the flashing process, might have found the bug along with someone else."
Jane Dieda: "..."?
Although he couldn't understand it, Jian Dieda, the number one clueless guy in the Chinese server, didn't take the words "love-struck" and "another person" to heart at all. The little system probably didn't understand either. It took a deep breath and read the clues it got from its aloof colleague, Jun, to its left.
At the same time, ink stains appeared on a sheet of Xuan paper, and an antique-style illustration of monster tales and legends floated out from the white swirling clouds, along with a children's limerick and testimony.
1-1 The Taoist's duty is to listen to the testimonies of all informants (demon hunters) and find the (demon). For each night the demon survives, the Taoist can obtain a new side quest.
According to the Qingyang County Annals, long ago in Qingyang County, there was always a small building with embroidered windows that could only be seen when the sun was setting. Inside were women, mostly unmarried young ladies.
This was a rule passed down from the older generation. After foot binding, noblewomen were expected to stay within the confines of their homes and learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and the three obediences and four virtues.
Before they were engaged, they could only look at the small patch of sky obscured by the heavy eaves every day.
For food and drink, they relied entirely on the gate in the middle of the courtyard for delivery. The master's servants would place the food in bamboo baskets, and the maids responsible for attending to them would then use ropes to lift them up. Apart from this, young men from the front and back courtyards were absolutely not allowed to get close to the young ladies' bodies or faces.
But one day, a man in red appeared, bringing with him a rural cannibalistic curse known as 'Meat Backgammon'...
(Mysterious character's testimony: "Don't...don't let...that thing eat your heart!")
[The first round has three main locations: Mei's past life, Qingyang 20 years later, and Cilonggou.]
The three tools a Taoist priest uses to exorcise demons: lightning-struck wood, talismans, and a peach wood sword.
[Difficulty of this round: S+]
【Team Composition: Qingyang Demon-Catching Squad】
Current progress: 3%
[Completion Criteria: Achieve 99% completion to unlock the real-world portal.]
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Author's Note: [Heart emoji] The fourth unit, "The Little Taoist Priest," has begun. I miss you all so much!
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