Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 357: Killing Evil and Doing Good, Being Lost in the Clouds
Dodging, moving, advancing, retreating and attacking, his steps became smoother and calmer as the old host wandered around the hall, poking with the wooden stick in his hand from time to time.

The horrifying sound of bones breaking, mixed with the muffled sound of dying, turned the hall that was bustling with noise and cheer a moment ago into a living hell.

The oil lamp that was poured on the ground quickly caught fire. The bandits who usually killed people without blinking an eye now had distorted fear on their faces and rushed towards the gate with desperate hysteria. All kinds of hidden weapons made a sound of breaking through the air and hit the old Taoist priest who was blocking the door and the windows on both sides.

The old host used a broken hatchet to chop the wooden stick in his hand into a pointed cone shape. He could easily dodge hidden weapons and cold blades by moving his feet. His stabbing moves were as simple and fast as ever, and he almost didn't need a second hit.

He never used the stick to block the blade's impact, and his mind was surprisingly calm, as if he was not reaping lives.

He suddenly stretched out his left hand and used three fingers to lightly catch a willow-leaf flying knife that was shooting in an arc.

The cold metallic texture passed through his palm, and the old host was a little dazed.

"A familiar...feeling!"

"Swish", he failed to dodge in time and his robe was cut by the slanting blade, and his stomach was almost ripped open. The old host was like a whirlwind, dodging several attacks from hidden weapons and stabbing with a stick.

I saw the fat, dark, bald man hiding behind, knocking and groping on the stone wall, as if he was looking for a secret passage to escape.

The old host instinctively shook his left wrist, and the willow-leaf flying knife made a sharp sound, followed by a flash of white light.

"Puff", he passed through the gaps between many figures and nailed the fat bald man to the stone wall. He caught another flying knife and swung it backhand. The knife light pierced the head of the young man dressed as a scholar who was hiding behind and shooting hidden weapons.

The old host was very cruel and ruthless and did not let any of the robbers go even after they knelt down and begged for mercy. He picked up a stick and hit them. The "puff puff" sound finally stopped and the killing was over in less than a quarter of an hour.

The minions guarding the gate of the front yard had already heard faint screams, roars, and sounds of swords and weapons. They thought that the bosses were quarreling and fighting, so they didn't take it seriously and didn't dare to go to watch the fun. Instead, they hid far away.

Few of the bandits in the mountains have good tempers, and occasionally gunfights result in twenty or thirty deaths.

It was not until I saw the raging flames burning the windows that I realized something was wrong.

The old host quickly took the money bags from the bandit leaders, put a few flying knives into his sleeves, picked up a pork elbow that had fallen on the ground, and said to the young women who were shivering and pale in the corner on the other side: "Why don't you run away and wait to be burned to death by the fire?"

He went out first, and heard the gatekeepers shouting in fear in the front yard.

"Someone come quickly, a thief broke into Hunshan Hall!"

"The chief and military advisor were killed by the thieves."

In the dark night, the top of the mountain was in chaos, and the remaining bandits killed countless officers and soldiers.

The group was in chaos and leaderless, but some brave men rushed towards the compound, shouting and brandishing their swords.

The old host bit the pork elbow in his hand, leaped twice and rushed to the gate of the courtyard more than ten feet away. "Puff puff puff", he took care of the minions who wanted to escape, and continued to walk outside.

Several women ran out of the disgusting hall, coughing.

The fire reached the roof, and the raging flames broke through the darkness and could be seen dozens of miles away.

The young man in green robe got a pot of wine from somewhere, lay sideways in the air, crossed his legs, drank and watched the figures swaying below and the killing drama that sounded like ghosts and wolves howling.

"This guy killed fifty or sixty bandits, but his mind was not affected at all. If he continues like this, he still won't be able to completely 'enter the mortal world'."

The young man suddenly turned his head to look to the west, and laughed, "The firelight attracted two 'immortals' walking on the night road, and they were government officials. Let's see how this ends."

He raised the wine jug and toasted the old host who was dodging arrows and chasing robbers below.

Two figures flew over the sky above Hunshan Village and looked at the old man with gray hair tied in a Taoist bun, whose true color could not be seen. He used a bloody wooden stick to kill the men who were fleeing and shouting for mercy.

When he glanced over with his spiritual sense, he was shocked to see that all the dead bodies had marks left by being stabbed with sticks.

"Stop, stop it all!"

A middle-aged monk with a golden badge hanging on his waist appeared in the low sky and shouted.

As he waved his hand, heavy rain poured down, quickly putting out the raging fire that had spread to the second courtyard.

“God…Grandpa God, help me!”

"We surrender, stop killing us."

"Grandpa God, help me!"

The dozen or so frightened bandits remaining on the top of the mountain dropped their knives, hammers, bows and arrows, crawled out from behind houses and trees, knelt on the ground and kowtowed for mercy. The old man who killed people so hard that blood flowed like a river cut off the way down the mountain. They had nowhere to escape, and the other bandits who were guarding the winding passage had already been scared away and fled down the mountain for their lives.

The old host leaned on the wooden stick, breathing lightly to regain his strength, and secretly thanked himself for having eaten a pork elbow and a few fried cakes to fill his stomach, so that he could fight until now.

He was also exhausted, his steps were not as agile as before, and there were many tears in his clothes. After all, time is unforgiving.

Fortunately, he was not injured. He looked up and stared at the two men hovering in the air thirty feet away.

There are countless legends about gods and immortals in books, and today I finally saw it with my own eyes.

He can call the wind and rain, and his power is boundless.

He was not really afraid in his heart. Even gods have to be reasonable. He killed those who deserved to be killed.

"You old man, why do you want to commit such a murder without caring about human life?"

Another young man, with a bronze plate hanging around his waist, pointed at the old Taoist priest who had killed people without hesitation and dared to look them in the face without any respect, and shouted sternly.

The old host put his left hand into his sleeve, holding two flying knives that made him feel at ease. He lowered his eyes and said slowly, "My Lord Immortal, this place is called 'Hunshan Village'. There are more than a hundred bandits and robbers entrenched there for decades, causing trouble for the villagers and merchants in the three prefectures. All those I killed were evil people. Killing evil is doing good, so what if I commit a great sin?"

What he said was righteous and awe-inspiring.

The young man lying in the air grinned and said, "This guy has a truth in his bones. It's incredible."

Only at times like this can you hear a few words of truth.

I secretly admired Xu Yuanchang's unparalleled courage and talent for sophistry.

He was not worried about being heard by the "gods" below.

The middle-aged man scanned the area within a dozen miles with his spiritual sense, but only saw dry bones in the mountains, and no other populated villages. He understood in his heart that there were so many heroes gathered in the wild mountains and wilderness, equipped with swords, guns, bows and arrows, and guarding the dangerous place. They were undoubtedly a group of robbers.

I was a little curious about the brave old Taoist. He could actually say "killing evil is doing good", he had great insight and was very successful in cultivating his mind, but it was a pity that he was too old.

The middle-aged man deliberately asked, "There are also innocent villagers and women captured by the bandits in the mountains. How do you distinguish who are the bad guys and who are the villagers? It's dark, aren't you afraid of killing innocent people by mistake?"

The old host defended himself, "Those who attacked me on this mountain are all evil people. They are innocent. The villagers who were captured to grow vegetables and crops are hiding in the shacks in the back mountain. They dare not go out at night."

It’s such a simple truth that the middle-aged man was speechless for a moment.

The bandits were kneeling in a pool of blood, trembling in fear. Some of them had dropped their weapons and knives long ago, but they still could not escape the fate.
The young man was somewhat displeased with the old man's rude attitude, and asked aggressively: "Why don't you report to the government and let the government send soldiers to eliminate the bandits? It's wrong for you to act on behalf of the government."

The old host raised his head, a hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then lowered his head and said, "My Lord God, the government has sent troops to encircle and suppress Hunshan Village no less than ten times. Hunshan Village is still plagued by mountain bandits. If you don't believe it, you can just ask the bandits who begged for mercy."

"A few days ago, five bandits from Hunshan Village attacked the Taoist temple where I was staying at night. I captured them alive and handed them over to the county government. The county lieutenant personally tried the case and finally sent me back without any response. When I returned to the mountain at night, I found the dilapidated Taoist temple burned to the ground. I couldn't swallow this anger, so I risked my life to come to Hunshan Village to seek justice for the Taoist master."

More than a dozen bandits who were barely surviving were almost vomiting blood in anger.

In their hearts, they cursed the guy who caused the disaster and burned down the Taoist temple, and cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.

Why not offend anyone else? Why did you offend such a disaster?

It was so unfair that they lost their heads as a result.

The young man continued to ask, "Since you have the ability, why didn't you take action before and let the bandits run rampant in the village and didn't eliminate the bandit den that was causing trouble to the area?"

Of course, with his skills as a cultivator, he naturally looked down on the old Taoist's tricks.

The old abbot sneered at the other party's nonsense in his heart, and answered in a serious tone: "I am not a local Taoist priest. I traveled here from Qianlin Temple, five thousand miles away, two years ago and stayed at Xishui Temple. I had a good conversation with the previous abbot, and was entrusted by Master Hao to take over the Taoist temple. I don't know the situation fifty miles away."

He did not give a direct response, and the other party seemed dissatisfied with his attitude.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with his attitude. Did he have to be like the gangster who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy?

Apart from kneeling down to worship the Taoist Patriarch, there was no one else in this world who could make him kneel down and show respect.

So what if he is a god high above?
He didn't think there was anything wrong in taking the risk of going up the mountain to kill the bandits.

If the government could be relied upon, there wouldn't be banditry in the local area for decades.

The middle-aged man stopped his men from attacking with a look. During the hundred-year war in the dark world, the dynasties lacked monks to suppress the destiny, which led to the breeding of hostility in various places. The banditry here was the result of negligence in management.

"The old Taoist priest acted out of righteousness and helped the people get rid of harm. I admire you. I will ask the government for your credit tomorrow."

"I dare not. I dare not take credit for it. Besides, people outside the monastery want peace and quiet, and do not like to make a fuss known to everyone."

The old host bowed and politely declined.

He was thankful that he was not charged with any of those messy crimes like "acting on behalf of an official".

He didn't want to deal with the government. Officials always have reasons for what they say, which was too tiring. He just wanted to rebuild the Taoist temple and chant scriptures and practice in peace and quiet.

The middle-aged man did not force it and asked, "What is your name, Taoist priest?"

The old host bowed again and said, "My name is Xu Yuan. Now that I have finished my business here, I will take my leave now."

After getting permission, he stepped back three steps with the help of a wooden stick, then turned around and walked slowly along the winding path down the mountain. The bandits who were guarding the dangerous places on the mountain road had already fled, so he had a smooth journey and walked towards the southwest mountains in the dark.

Passing by a stream, he filled an empty wine jug with some water to drink, stopped to carefully wash the wooden stick, washed his hands and face, and his pair of cloth shoes were covered in blood and mud, so he had to wash them thoroughly when he got back.

It was early the next morning when we returned to the foot of the Taoist temple.

Take a good rest in the cave for a day, wash and dry your clothes, shoes, etc., and go to town to buy things the next day.

When they met the leader of the Bad Guys team, the leader named Shi Cheng was very surprised and pulled the old host to the side of the road.

"Master Xu, you may not know that the bandit den in Hunshan Village has been completely wiped out by the soldiers overnight. It is said that the mountain top was littered with corpses and there was nowhere to stay. Sixteen bandits were captured alive and are currently searching everywhere to catch the bandits' spies. You don't have to hide anymore."

"Alas, I was in the county town a few days ago, and Xishui Temple was burned down by robbers."

The old host talked to the captain for a while and said, "I have made some contributions and received some rewards. I want to rebuild the Taoist temple. Captain Shi, you are a good person, so I would like to ask you to help me find some craftsmen. The Taoist temple does not need to be too large, it can be built in the same scale and style as before."

"Master, rest assured. I will help you find a few reliable craftsmen to rebuild the burned-down Taoist temple. This will also be a good deed."

Dui Zheng readily agreed that he could ask his family members to take over the job.

In the following months, the old abbot temporarily lived in a cave in the back mountain. After finishing his homework every day, he would go up the mountain to personally participate in the construction of the Taoist temple and the backyard. He witnessed a simple small Taoist temple gradually built from scratch and completed before the heavy snow in mid-winter.

After paying the remaining wages and materials, the craftsmen and apprentices were sent down the mountain.

The old abbot made some arrangements, hung up a plaque, brought the customized statue of the Taoist ancestor into the main hall, burned incense and chanted scriptures, completing a simple ceremony, and Xishui Temple was restored to incense.

He reclaimed the vegetable garden and farmland, lived in peace and quiet, studied, practiced, worked, and drank tea, and did not feel lonely. He went to the city to buy various Taoist scriptures and books, and in his spare time he wrote, drew symbols, and read books, enjoying himself.

The following spring, it will be a time of shortage of food.

From a neighboring village five miles away, a skinny dark man brought a ten-year-old boy and begged the Taoist priest to have mercy on him. He just needed to give the child a meal and told him he could do anything he wanted while staying at the Taoist temple. If he was disobedient, he could be beaten to death with branches.

The old abbot was indeed in need of a Taoist boy who could run errands, work in the fields and cook, so he immediately wrote two documents, agreeing to take in the little guy named "Dong Xing" until he was sixteen years old. He signed and sealed his name with his fingerprints, gave the man a hundred coins as a life-saving money, and sent the man down the mountain, thanking him profusely.

The next day, another family who could not afford food sent a nine-year-old boy named "Chen Xiang". The old abbot accepted the boy and, after paying him copper coins, said that he would not accept any more children sent from the mountain in the future.

A Taoist temple is a quiet place and cannot afford to support too many Taoist children.

From then on, the old abbot took time out to teach the two thin and dark Taoist boys to read and write. He usually took them to grow vegetables, farm, cook, make incense, etc., and slowly passed on his skills. Half a year later, he had more free time to practice, read books and drink tea.

Occasionally, he would stand in the simple pavilion, stroking the willow leaf flying knife and staring at the white clouds in the sky in a daze.

Then I fell into deep confusion.

Who is he?
Why can't he remember his past?
……

(End of this chapter)