Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 107 The Spirits Seek Help

"……shadow?"

Looking at the letter Shuangxiu sent back, and reading the description inside, for a moment, Yue Wuque also thought that the two people had wandered onto the wrong set.

The untouchable shadow, something that seems to exploit a bug in the game mechanics, can actually be seen in the stream-of-consciousness world of Liaozhai. Even Yue Wuque has to marvel at the diversity of enemies.

"Are these guys some kind of rat spirits? They even use their abilities so stealthily."

He's not much of a fighter, but he's a master at flanking maneuvers.

Yue Wuque leaned against a big tree, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around and no one could see him. He held a cigarette and puffed out smoke. He didn't care how he left the ship; he had left and didn't want to go back.

The troublesome family affairs of the Yang brothers have not yet been resolved, Ma Jiepu has not yet seen through Yang Wanshi's cowardly nature, and Yue Wuque said that he had no interest in managing the Yang family, but he could not really let the Yang family fend for themselves. He did not want to see tragedies such as Wang's miscarriage and Yang Wanzhong jumping into a well.

After being threatened and intimidated by the giant that Ma Jiepu had conjured, Madam Yin toned down her arrogance and behaved as a dutiful wife for a month. She also became more accommodating to Old Man Yang and no longer needed to hide in Ma Jiepu's house.

Yang Wanshi had never enjoyed such good fortune before. He was visibly smug and seemed to have almost forgotten the fierceness of the Yin family in the past.

Ma Jiepu was quite satisfied with the current peaceful and harmonious Yang family. Although he was still living in the Yang family, he gradually paid less attention to the Yang brothers and had time to focus on other things.

One thing to know is that Ma Jiepu is not a human, but a fox spirit. Judging from his behavior, he is a fox spirit with relatively high cultivation who likes to travel around the world and help wherever he goes.

Coincidentally, the White Lotus Sect was arresting many weak demons. Few of these innocent little demons could speak human language to plead their case, but that doesn't mean they didn't have powerful relatives and friends or useful connections.

Oh no, I've already mentioned the demonic lineage. The magpie, having been captured and escaped, knew it could seek revenge and managed to find a powerful raptor, a swordsman among birds, to help rescue the other captured birds. Naturally, the other lesser demons also knew to seek help.

For example, right now, a little demon has found the fox spirit Ma Jiepu. Yue Wuque is in a high position and can see Ma Jiepu below, but Ma Jiepu hasn't noticed him yet.

"Is it true that someone is capturing spirits for no reason?"

Ma Jiepu bent down, and on the ground in front of him sat a yellow fox with a gray spot on its head. However, the gray spot was not fox fur, but a gray rat perched on its head.

The coexistence of foxes and mice is a rare combination. If they aren't inseparable, cross-species best friends, then the fact that a fox and a mouse are seeking help together indicates a very serious situation.

If it were just someone catching demons, Ma Jiepu wouldn't find it strange. The conflict between demon hunters and spirits has always existed, and occasionally some people are more extreme and will beat any demon they see to death.

But that's just an isolated case. What the fox and rat in front of us are talking about is a large group of people who are systematically and purposefully besieging little monsters, regardless of whether they are good or evil, or what kind they are. The hunters don't even care if they live or die; as long as they can be sure that the monster is not human, it may be in danger.

This is highly unusual. Whether they are monks or Taoists, apart from those who live in seclusion and cultivate themselves or those who have fixed temples, the rest are wandering around. As long as you can see practitioners in daily life, they are rarely seen in groups, let alone deliberately causing trouble for monsters. This is disrupting the local stability and balance.

"This is unusual..."

Ma Jiepu looked towards the Yang family compound and learned that an organization was capturing small monsters on a large scale. He could not stand idly by. Not all monsters that come into contact with people are meant to harm them. Many spirits in the mountains have become intelligent naturally. Compared to demons, they are more like mountain spirits. If too many are captured, it will cause great chaos.

However, there was still the problem of the Yang family. Seeing that Madam Yin was becoming more and more obedient, Ma Jiepu still remembered Yue Wuque's words about the "future". He originally planned to stay for another month to ensure that Madam Yin could really stay before leaving.

Today, some little monsters came seeking help, and he couldn't ignore them. However, the news they brought indicated that this was a major matter, and he didn't know how long he would be gone. What if something happened to the Yang family while he was away, and he missed it? What if something really happened to the Yang brothers?

"They've even brought the White Lotus Sect here. They're really arrogant."

Some familiar voices came from above. Ma Jiepu looked up and saw Yue Wuque sitting in a big tree, holding a pipe and looking like he was watching a show.

Having realized that the two sides had different cultivation systems and vastly different strengths, Ma Jiepu had long since come to terms with the mysterious appearances and disappearances of these individuals. Therefore, he was somewhat surprised to see that they were watching him from above without him noticing.

What's intriguing is what the other person just said.

"You mentioned the White Lotus Sect. Could it be that the heretical cultivators of the White Lotus Sect are capturing spirits? Which sect is responsible for this?"

"The little fox has quite a few problems."

Yue Wuque jumped down from the tree and landed lightly on the ground, his robes fluttering. Ma Jiepu sighed inwardly once again, thinking that as long as the other party didn't speak, he truly had the qualities of an immortal.

"Your mind is completely focused on the crooked tree of the Yang family, you've practically hung your head on it. If you walk a few miles outside, you'll hear people from different factions shouting the same name."

Yes, as long as this person doesn't speak.

"If you want to take care of it, then take care of it. Once you leave, Yu Ren will be able to make his move on that soft stone."

Perhaps because Ma Jiepu was always at home, there were outsiders present. No matter how much Yin asked about the giant she had seen that night, Yin did not tell her the details. Therefore, Yang Wanshi did not know what Ma Jiepu had done. From his perspective, that night his sworn brother had insisted on keeping him from going back to his room, and then urged him to go back at a certain time.

When he returned, he could only see Yin Shi bound and with several knife wounds on her chest. He didn't see the giant or his entourage at all. He knew that Ma Jiepu had helped, but he didn't know exactly how he had helped to subdue Yin Shi so completely.

Without anyone speaking up, Yang Wanshi had no opportunity to reveal the truth. If Ma Jiepu had left for other reasons and the outsiders had left, Yin Shi might have found a chance to ask Yang Wanshi about the giant from that time.

At that time, as soon as Yang Wanshi returned, the giant who had been tormenting her immediately left with his followers. He seemed to be somewhat afraid of Yang Wanshi, which is why Madam Yin was so obedient to him.

"Thank you."

Ma Jiepu didn't take the other party's words about plotting against Yang Wanshi seriously. Although Yue Wuque was a bit sharp-tongued, he was still a pillar of the righteous path in his actions. Most of the time, he just disliked Yang Wanshi's overly weak nature.

Before leaving, Shuangxiu specifically instructed Ma Jiepu that getting along with Yue Wuque was simple; just treat him like a cat and coax him.

Ma Jiepu at that time: ?

Yue Wuque, who was being cricketed in front of everyone: Don't pretend that the beautiful lady doesn't exist! I'm standing right behind you!

Although he still didn't quite understand what this description meant, he did grasp one point: don't believe the harsh words people say in everyday conversation; just listen carefully to them and you'll understand their meaning.

For example, if we break down Yue Wuque's words, it means that he was telling Ma Jiepu to leave with peace of mind to rescue the innocent little monsters who had been captured. With Yue Wuque watching over the Yang family, there was no need to worry about anything going wrong.

"Don't thank me yet. The Asura King of the White Lotus Sect is no good, and the other leaders are even more like rats in disguise..."

Upon hearing this, the little mouse perched on the fox's head looked up.

"...I'm not talking about you, little mouse, don't take it personally."

Yue Wuque exhaled a puff of smoke at them, watched the fox and the rat hide behind them, then turned back with satisfaction and continued speaking, showing no remorse for bullying the small animals.

"If you really intend to get involved, you'd better take care of your own life first. Yu Ren and the others are only responsible for watching the show, not for collecting the corpses."

"Yes."

This is about the danger of the White Lotus Sect. After staying at the Yang family's house for a month, Ma Jiepu had a better understanding of the image of the Asura King. According to the preachers, he was usually described as a white-haired man dressed in blood red, holding a blue-green long sword, and supposedly also had long, pointed ears.

With such distinctive, yet inhuman features, Ma Jiepu felt he couldn't be mistaken. He had traveled extensively, witnessed many strange things, and deeply understood the principle that there are always people more capable than oneself and that there is always something beyond one's understanding. He also cherished his life.

Just from the description, he knew that the Asura King was not someone to be trifled with; if he were to actually encounter him, he would definitely run away.

……

"A spell that can pull people into shadows? Hmm..."

In a Taoist temple in Laoshan, after listening to Cang's description, the old Taoist priest put his hands in his pockets and pondered which family knew such magic.

"Shadows are something that seem illusory yet are not. It is easy to transform a shadow into a physical object, but it is very difficult to enter a shadow. Fellow Daoist, where did you learn about this kind of magic?"

Shadows are a strange thing; they can be seen but not touched. It's easy to make a shadow into a physical entity so that it can accompany you while playing chess or drinking tea. But as Cang said, it's quite difficult to use a shadow as a space to bring living things into it, without others being able to touch it.

"It was seen by two of my good friends, on a sorcerer in the south who belonged to the White Lotus Sect. Both of them were powerful, but they couldn't even touch that shadow."

When everyone encounters strange things, Liu Qingyuan, as the original body, can endlessly harass the system to find out what's going on. Cang is even simpler right now, as he is in Laoshan and has highly skilled cultivators around him, so he can ask them directly.

"The White Lotus Sect."

Upon hearing this name, the old Taoist priest's doubts lessened somewhat. Few in the White Lotus Sect followed the proper path of cultivation; most were evil cultists who practiced evil arts. Casting spells from the shadows was extremely rare. When combined with the evil cultivators in the White Lotus Sect, it suddenly made sense.

More than half of the beliefs of the various sects of the White Lotus Sect are based on "borrowing" – they adopt whichever deity sounds good and worship it. Ordinary religions have all been harmed by them. Even if an old Taoist priest cannot cultivate in Laoshan, it does not prevent him from hearing about the White Lotus Sect's bad reputation.

"The White Lotus Sect is no benevolent force; how could your friend possibly oppose them?"

"Something happened."

Cang raised his hand, and after a flash of light, an opened letter appeared in his hand. It was a letter from Shuangxiu, which recorded their description of the shadow.

More than a form of communication, this letter serves as a formality for others to see. It does not contain any truly important information, and it would be perfectly acceptable to give it to outsiders.

Cang handed the letter to the old Taoist priest, letting him interpret the descriptions within for himself.

"In the south, the White Lotus Sect is massacring innocent spirits and monsters. In the north, they have people searching for the remains of rebels from a hundred years ago. With the intervention of outsiders, something big is likely to happen."

"...So this is why you have come here, fellow Daoists?"

"That's it."

The old Taoist priest sighed. The White Lotus Sect wasn't unfamiliar with grand schemes; they had staged several rebellions and uprisings in different places. But this time, these lunatics had gone too far.

For a moment, the two in the temple remained silent. Breaking the silence was Wang Qilang, who rushed in. At this time, he should have been chopping wood and practicing with the other disciples, but instead, he recklessly barged in, heading straight for the old Taoist priest.

"Master, I can't take it anymore!"

Wang Qilang knelt on the ground, complaining bitterly. Ever since he witnessed his teacher and friends' strange party, he had been chopping wood for more than a month. The more he chopped, the more irritable he became. He couldn't learn any magic from chopping wood, and he really couldn't stand it anymore.

“I have traveled hundreds of miles to seek your guidance, Master. Even if I cannot attain immortality, learning some minor magic techniques would at least comfort my desire to learn.”

At this point, Wang Qilang paused. Soaring through the clouds and achieving immortality—these were the Taoist arts he had admired since childhood, the immortal techniques he longed to learn. But since arriving at Laoshan, all he did every day was chop wood. The old Taoist priest wouldn't teach him a single spell. He simply couldn't bear this thankless and arduous work.

“Since I came here, two or three months have passed. Every day, all I do is go out to chop firewood in the morning and come back to sleep at night. I can’t see an end to this routine. I have never suffered like this at home.”

Born into an official family, he was a pampered young master who never lifted a finger. He was waited on hand and foot, and he didn't even need to fetch his own things for school, let alone chop wood.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest and Cang exchanged a glance. Wang Qilang's duration of perseverance was about the same as their prediction, around a month.

Faced with Wang Qilang's sudden departure, the old Taoist priest showed no dissatisfaction, but instead smiled knowingly.

“I told you before that you couldn’t handle hardship, and now it’s proven true. Since you’re determined to go, I’ll send you back tomorrow morning.”

Seeing that the other party was not angry, Wang Qilang's anxiety subsided somewhat. Although he had suffered a lot in the temple, he was still reluctant to leave suddenly.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with his daily wood-chopping and cultivation; his main concern was the legendary immortal techniques and immortals. He had finally found this place, and if he left now, he might never see these immortals in the mountains again.

Moreover, if he just ran back like that, he would inevitably be scolded by his family. If he could bring back some elixirs or learn some magic...

Thinking of this, Wang Qilang kowtowed again.

"I have worked hard here for many days. Even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly put in the effort. Now that I am about to leave, please teach me a little magic. If so, my trip will not have been in vain."

"Sure, what would you like to learn?"

Cang shifted his gaze elsewhere, ignoring the old Taoist priest and Wang Qilang kneeling on the ground. This man hadn't even entered the gate of magic; no matter what kind of magic it was, it was impossible to learn it all at once. Wang Qilang didn't understand the principles and thought that he could learn it just by being taught a few incantations.

The old Taoist priest knew perfectly well what was going on, yet he still agreed without hesitation, even asking the other party what they wanted to learn, as if to say, "Whatever you want to learn, I can teach you right away."

In short, this person is going to start giving people the runaround.