The strange story of Huai'an Inn

Daoist Qi Yao stood on the tower of Tianliang City, looking at the ancient city spread out in front of him in the valley between two mountains.It was the setting sun at this time, and the smoky purple clouds shrouded the row upon row of pavilions and houses, outlining golden outlines.

The evening wind blows the copper bell at the corner of the eaves, making a simple and distant sound. Taking advantage of the rising smoke from the kitchen in the distance, it becomes more and more quiet and comfortable.

All the chaos during the day seemed to be non-existent, and the catastrophe that was about to happen three days later also seemed to be non-existent.

There were footsteps behind him, followed by a familiar voice, "Good guy, there are several laymen from the city wall staring at you from a distance. If it wasn't for the juniors who stopped me, I'm afraid they would all rush up to you for blessing..."

Daoist Qi Yao didn't look back, he just said lightly, "The waiter was found?"

Song Mingzi replied, "I found it. I was cut on the arm by a lunatic who hacked people in the street, but it's not serious."

"Where's Uncle Jiuluan?"

"She decided to stay in the inn temporarily and help find the door in the city."

Daoist Qi Yao took a deep breath, and then slowly sighed, "Master Uncle's restoration of appearance must have something to do with Zhu Helan, right? My Taoist leader sect has too much to do with his inn."

Song Mingzi walked up to Daoist Qi Yao, turned around and leaned against the city wall, with a grass stick in his mouth, he casually asked, "Brother, do you have a big opinion on my friend, or on me?"

Daoist Qi Yao cast his eyes on Song Mingzi, but his quiet eyes had a courage that didn't match his appearance and age, "I'm just discussing the facts. Zhu Helan tried to use the filth to practice forbidden techniques and evil ways, and sooner or later he would get burned. Such things as filth, in case of Never touch it. Once it is contaminated, it will be impossible to get rid of it until death. I, a cultivator, should stay away from it."

"Brother, you always talk about filth as something that should not exist. But if there is no filth, wouldn't this world also be unable to exist? There are no variables, no chaos, and there will be no evil spirits in this world from the very beginning. Living beings, there will only be a dead silence."

"Even though it existed from the beginning, it shouldn't be something that people use. It's like a mayfly trying to control the weather and control the sea. It's simply beyond its control." Daoist Qi Yao flicked his sleeves slightly, with a sarcasm in his tone.But immediately, his expression settled down, and he glanced at Song Mingzi complicatedly.

"Why on earth do you have to be close to the people in the inn all day long? You know exactly what that tree is and how dangerous it is. In the beginning, my patriarch of the Qingming Sect opened an altar here to calm down that sapling. You Now I am entangled with the priest of the mother god of all things, how can I explain to Master?"

"Brother... Zhu Helan and I are in a business partnership... What you said is likely to cause ambiguity, okay..." Song Mingzi said with a headache.Every time he talks to his senior brother, there will always be such a lecture, which makes him want to hide even more.

"As an alchemist, you should..."

"Should be doing justice for the heavens and helping the common people, how can you live in vulgarity and neglect your business and do not think about making progress..." Song Mingzi lazily recited the words that Daoist Qi Yao often reprimanded him, and glanced at his senior brother with a half-smile, "I Did you miss any sentence?"

Daoist Qi Yao's fair skin was a little red, and he turned his gaze away, "It's even more hateful to commit crimes knowingly."

"Senior brother, if Zhu Helan and I hadn't found Zhuang Cheng this time, I'm afraid you would still be helpless about Hongmengyi's changes. You see, if you go a little wrong now and then, you'll be right."

"But now I can't find the location of the door, and I'm also helpless."

"The yellow Taisui Pagoda..." Song Mingzi turned around, looking at the fields and mountains spreading outside the city wall, "Zhu Helan and I are almost sure that the Taisui Pagoda is the gate. It hasn't fully formed yet, so as long as it can Find a way to lure it out, trap it with the Nine Heavens Subduing Demon Formation, and then use Dao Qi to disintegrate it little by little, and the door can be completely destroyed."

"If it wants to take shape, I'm afraid it needs to be filled with more filth. Those who are affected by the taint and start to have mental or physical distortions are its 'food'." Qi Yao immediately understood what Song Mingzi meant, " You want to catch it when it comes back to 'eat'?"

"Tomorrow... Tomorrow is probably when it reappears. We must pay attention to large-scale distortions anywhere in the city, so that we can set up the altar as quickly as possible."

"Naturally, I have already brought out all the disciples I can mobilize, and there are people guarding every street. Now that the uncle is old, it is no longer possible to withstand the nine-day demon-subduing formation. I will personally mobilize the big formation "As Daoist Qi Yao spoke, he hesitated for a moment, and said nonchalantly, "Song Huang, you stand guard on the periphery and are responsible for evacuating people. If any accident happens to me, you need to move the innocent people away as soon as possible."

Song Mingzi was taken aback, "How can I do that, I have to protect the law for you!"

"There is the first disciple here."

"Their youngsters can't protect your law! Senior brother, even if you are in trouble with me, don't make trouble at this time."

Daoist Qi Yao glared at him, "If you're told to go, then go, isn't it true that you have to go against what senior brother says?"

Song Mingzi was very angry at first, but when he changed his mind, he suddenly grinned wickedly, "Senior brother, you probably sent me away because you were worried about my injury, right?"

Daoist Qi Yao was stunned for a moment, turned his gaze away in embarrassment, and the stern aura just now dissipated instantly, "Don't be sentimental. I just need someone reliable to take care of the periphery." "Brother, since this is dangerous, how can I give up?" You don’t care. You let a few of your apprentices take care of the periphery, and I will definitely help you protect the Dharma.” Song Mingzi put away his unscrupulous smile, and said with rare sincerity, “When we just went down the mountain to practice, we cooperated Isn't it great?"

That's right, both of them were fledgling boys back then, but they were very close.At that time, Song Mingzi would tell him whatever was on his mind, and he couldn't hide his secrets.

I don't know when it started, the two had a rift.

Daoist Qi Yao looked at Song Huang, and a faint astringency quietly permeated his heart.He finally nodded and said softly, "That's all. If you must come, then come together."

............................................................

Chong Liu looked at his records, compared the information he had inquired before coming to Tianliang, and found three people who might be Bai Xiaosheng.

Among the three, the first person to come to Tianliang was a clerk named Xue Jiachong, who later worked as a secretary in the county government.According to the appearance and accent described by others, and based on the location of his mansion, Chongliu judged that it was extremely possible that this person was the Dragon King Mask of Qinglongmen.

Then the two of them were Li Ruochan, the proprietress of Huaxi Restaurant who married into Tianliang City nine years ago, and the other was Chen San, a beggar who slept in the Town God's Temple all year round.It just corresponds to the Suzaku and Gouchen two gates that he had inquired about before.Since the two came to Tianliang City at about the same time, it was hard to say who was the assistant student.

If the assistant student doesn't show up tonight, he will go look for these two tomorrow.

Generally speaking, Bai Xiaosheng would respect each other's identities during the day, and even if they guessed the other's job, they would not meet directly without wearing a mask.But if the first and assistant students are all missing, under special circumstances, they have to make a bad move.

Just as he was putting away his box, he suddenly heard the sound of the door.Chong Liu hastily pushed the box under the bed.

Zhu Yi came in with a bowl of tea soup.

"Brother Six, my boss asked me to bring this to you."

It is a medicine for suppressing distortion, made with Master Liao's tea...

Chong Liu was actually a little curious. If his own distortion could be suppressed with diluted tea, how serious was Master Liao's distortion?Not only is it very thick, but you have to drink it every day, every now and then.

Chong Liu took the tea soup with a bitter face, squeezed his nose and drank it down, his whole face wrinkled.

"Little Zhu, why don't you need to drink this stuff."

Zhu Yi was taken aback for a moment, this was the first time Chong Liu had mentioned his filth to him.

Zhu Yi smiled, pointed to the pillow on his bed and said, "I have it too. The shopkeeper gave me this pillow, so that I can fall asleep every day. He said it can reduce nightmares. Sixth brother, you should have stopped me from talking in my sleep." Right, I used to be much more serious than now." Chong Liu was stunned, "Is it more serious than now?"

"Yeah, for several years, I was like a different person when I went to bed. It scared my family and finally sent me out. I changed several inns but couldn't stay, because people said I Sleepwalking is particularly frightening. It wasn’t until I met the shopkeeper here that I finally got off my feet.” Zhu Yi pulled a stool and sat down, poured himself a glass of water, “Anyway, if it wasn’t for the shopkeeper, I might be begging now... "

Being kicked out of the house by one's own parents... This feeling is unimaginable for Chong Liu.

"When did you get this filthy smell?" Chong Liu asked.

"I have been sleepwalking and talking in my sleep since I was about 15 years old... I was originally from Zhujia Village in the lower reaches of the Bian River. Once, I followed my father to the mountains to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables, and ghosts beat the wall in the middle. I don't remember how I went back. It seems that my family thought I died in the mountains, but I walked back by myself, but it seemed like I was possessed by an evil spirit. They found a fairy girl to clean up my uncleanness. Although I woke up later, but There is a problem of tossing around at night."

"Has anyone ever told you what you talk about at night?"

"They said that I would sometimes name people, and then those people would... die in a few days." Zhu Yi said with a sad expression.But he was startled again, and asked Chong Liu, "Did I say someone's name again?"

Chong Liu lowered his eyes and thought for a while, "Do you want to know who you have talked about?"

Zhu Yi was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head vigorously, "I don't want... I can't help them if I know, it's better not to know."

"Even if it's someone you know?"

"...Yes." Zhu Yi made up his mind and said, "Even if it's someone I know... I don't want this kind of ability..."

Chong Liu reached out and patted his shoulder, and said gently, "I understand...but these two days, Zhu Yi, don't leave the inn even a single step, and don't stay alone, spend as much time with Master Liao and the others as possible. do you know?"

Zhu Yi stopped, and laughed, "Sixth brother, how did you say the same thing as my boss?"

Also... the boss must have reminded...

After nightfall, after Zhu Yi fell asleep, Chong Liu changed his clothes, put on a mask, and slipped to the shopkeeper's yard.

The shopkeeper saw the clothes on his body and clicked his tongue, "Why is it still the one I gave you? Didn't I give you a wage increase, and didn't make two new ones?"

Chong Liu looked down at the lotus-stem green cross-neck gown on his body, and said inexplicably, "I only wear it once in a while, there is no need to waste money."

"Every time you wear the same clothes to meet your colleagues, they can quickly guess where you work, and then think that I treated you harshly." The shopkeeper Xu Xu said, went into the room to tidy up for a while, and took a An apricot-yellow round-neck shirt was handed to Chong Liu, "Hurry up and put it on."

Chong Liu went to the shopkeeper's room to change his clothes dumbfounded, wondering why the shopkeeper was always so keen on dressing him up...

The shopkeeper opened the door of the shortcut, and took Chong Liu along the strange road full of dense black potholes.The scenery on both sides was distorted and broken as before, but this time, Chong Liu noticed many yellow sticky objects wriggling between the cracks, as if filling everything up.

Chong Liu stared in amazement, thinking that those yellow Tai Sui had already been everywhere.It's just that they can't see it...

"Don't look away, watch your step." Zhu Helan reminded him.

"Boss, what if we meet a dog?"

"Now that the god in yellow has such a strong aura, the dogs will probably run away."

Tianliang City, which even dogs dare not approach...

After a moment of silence, Zhu Helan suddenly said in a hesitant tone, "Liu'er... What we are going to do this time is to save so many lives from the evil god, and it will be contaminated with a lot of filth. Last time you saved Xu Hanke, how could you Being so seriously affected, this time, I think you might as well go out of the city to avoid it."

"Huh? But... can't I help you?"

"It's not that you can't help, I'm afraid..." After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he felt strange.When did he start to feel afraid of this kind of feeling?

This heavy six, the impression on him exceeded his expectations.

"But if I leave, I always feel that something is wrong..." Chongliu looked at him anxiously, and suddenly stopped, "Zhu Yi didn't leave, Master Liao Xiaoshun Fuzi Jiulang didn't leave...how can I be alone where to go?"

"You are not afraid?"

"I'm afraid I'm definitely afraid, but I don't want to be a deserter either."

"If you really want to stay, you have to tell me one thing." The shopkeeper folded his hands and stared at him quietly.

Chong Liu was unclear, so he still met the shopkeeper's gaze, "You can ask. I will say everything I can."

"Who are your parents?"

Chong Liu was stunned for a moment, wondering why the shopkeeper suddenly brought up this issue, he was silent for a moment, and said honestly, "I don't know. I was brought up by my master."

"I know, I shouldn't ask this question. After all, your status as a daylight in Baixiaomen is taboo... If you want to say it, you can say it. If you don't want to say it or you still have doubts about me, you can keep silent." The shopkeeper Word by word, very solemn.

Chong Liu blinked twice, and said, "Boss, do you want to ask me who my master is?"

Zhu Helan nodded slightly.

Chong Liu pursed his lips nervously.

Master didn't want to be disturbed, so he shouldn't have told anyone.

Zhu Helan waited quietly, the world passed by, and Chong Liu remained silent.

Zhu Helan felt a little lost for some reason.

"It's fine if you don't want to say it. It's just that I have to ask you one more question. Has your master taught you a book?"

"Book?"

"Well, or something like an inscription or a note."

Chong Liu shook his head, "I haven't read any of my master's notes. He said that I have to collect my own knowledge. He just taught me the method."

Zhu Helan nodded, staring closely at every subtle expression of Chong Liu.

Unless his scheming is really unfathomable to the point where even he can be fooled, there is no sign of lying no matter how you look at it.

He should really not know... Maybe this matter really has nothing to do with him.

Inexplicably feeling a little more relaxed, Zhu Helan eased his expression, and pressed his hand on Chongliu's shoulder comfortingly, "Let's go."