After the Skyfall

Chapter 539: Strange Things at Night
Li Yi did not look at the statue in the temple for a long time. In his opinion, the statue was too weak. That level of cosmic energy did not pose any danger to him and was not worth too much attention. Therefore, this world was not very dangerous as he had judged before.

Then his gaze shifted to the people in the temple.

"I am Taiyi, a wandering Taoist priest. It was getting dark when I passed by and saw a fire lit in the temple, so I came here to stay for the night. I hope I didn't disturb you."

Li Yi spoke and bowed. Although he did not look like a Taoist, he was actually a Taoist practitioner.

Old Liu was in doubt, but he quickly returned the greeting: "Master, you are too polite. I am the guide of this area. Everyone calls me Old Liu. Ghosts and monsters are everywhere in this wilderness. Only this mountain temple enshrines a mountain god to protect the safety of passers-by. We were delayed in our journey, and it rained continuously and it got dark early, so we stopped here. It is a blessing for us to meet you today, so there is no need to disturb you."

"Master, please come in quickly and warm yourself by the fire. It's cold and damp outside. Be careful not to get sick."

He invited Li Yi into the temple, and at the same time he was observing to see whether this strange man was a real Taoist or a demon in disguise.

If the mountain monster is of the highest quality, it would never dare to enter the temple through the main gate.

Because there is a statue staring from the front, it can scare away the creatures in the mountains and forests. Even if there are monsters trying to harm people, they will only avoid the statue and sneak in through windows, back doors, etc.

"Thank you." Li Yi nodded and strode into the temple.

Upon seeing this scene, Old Liu heaved a sigh of relief. It was obvious that the person in front of him was not a monster but a genuine Taoist priest. It seemed that the field mouse in his arms smelled the breath of the master and was afraid of being mistaken for a monster and being subdued by the monster, so it was trembling with fear. But... what about the incense that couldn't be lit?

He was puzzled, but still alert in his heart.

"Okay, it's okay, it's okay, everyone close the doors and windows. It's estimated that no other passers-by will come to rest at this time. Take out the incense and scatter it, don't be lazy."

Old Liu turned around and spoke again, and after he finished speaking, he invited Li Yi to sit next to the fire, and very considerately brought a wooden stake to use as a stool.

"Master, please take a seat."

Li Yi was not polite. After sitting down, he asked, "Are there many ghosts and monsters in this area? Do we need the protection of the mountain temple to spend the night? Do we need to sprinkle incense on the windows to ward off evil spirits?"

"From the Taoist's accent, he should not be a local. This area is where three continents meet, there are many mountains and few roads, and it is difficult for the court to control it, so there are often monsters. Take the forest ahead for example. I heard that a mountain lion appeared more than ten years ago. There is also a mountain grave over there. Other guides have seen ghosts there. In that forest, there are foxes, snakes, and rats. The most weird one is the Three Mountain Road. It is said that every night, a few more roads will appear out of thin air. If an unfamiliar person goes in, he will never come back."

Old Liu said, "So people who pass by this area like to hire a guide to take them out of here safely, avoiding taboo areas. To be honest, I have been a guide here for more than ten years, and I have never made any mistakes in these ten years. What do I rely on? It's nothing more than being cautious. If I lead the way, I will never take dangerous roads, and I will set out at Chen time and leave the area at You time, without stopping in between."

"If we miss the time like today, don't be afraid. We can stay here for the night in the mountain temple and continue on our journey tomorrow. Nothing will happen. Although the location of this mountain temple is a bit remote, it is one of the few good places for us guides in this area. If you are not a local, you don't even know there is a mountain temple here. If you only care about your journey and miss this time, you will have to enter the Three Mountains Road at the hour of Xu. At that time, it will be easy to get in, but difficult to get out."

He talked eloquently, telling some of his own stories, but later on, he changed the subject and asked, "I wonder which famous mountain you grew up in to practice, which master you worshipped, and where you are going now?"

"I have been practicing Taoism with a fairy lady in Daoting Mountain. Now I plan to travel around to find my relatives. I don't have a fixed place to go." Li Yi said.

"Daoting Mountain?" Old Liu thought of it, but he didn't know the place. However, the name didn't seem to be made up casually, so he continued the conversation: "Master, you have been practicing for some years, right?"

"I have been practicing Taoism for less than a year." Li Yi said with a smile.

"Only practicing Taoism for a year? Has the Taoist master learned any magic?" Suddenly, the young scholar came over with interest. He hurriedly said, "By the way, Taoist master, I am Lu Yue, a student going to Fengzhou to study."

Li Yi said: "I have learned three major spells and hundreds of minor spells. If not, I would not dare to walk alone in this wilderness. Otherwise, I would have been fed to wolves and tigers long ago."

"I didn't expect that the Taoist priest is such a master. I'm honored to meet you." Upon hearing this, Lu Yue hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully.

"I'm not a master, just an ordinary person." Li Yi shook his head.

Old Liu standing by was also surprised and puzzled. Could it be that he really had the blessing to meet an enlightened master today?
At this time, another man on the side summoned up some courage and said, "Master, I heard that some people can turn stones into gold after learning magic, so that they can have food and drink for the rest of their lives. Master, can you show us some magic to broaden our horizons?"

"You are talking about the art of turning stone into gold. That's a very powerful spell, and I don't know it." Li Yi shook his head.

"You dare to think that you can turn stone into gold? You greedy fellow, go away. The Taoist priest's magic is only for you to see. If you anger the master, be careful that you will be turned into a stone standing there, exposed to the wind and sun for the rest of your life."

Old Liu shouted, not wanting others to anger the Taoist priest. Although he couldn't see what abilities the Taoist priest in front of him had, it was easy for him to control those who were on the road.

After being yelled at, the man shut up in dismay.

Li Yi suddenly looked to the side and asked, "Why are there two people hiding behind the statue and not daring to come out?"

Old Liu's expression changed slightly, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The two men hid so well, without making any noise, yet they were recognized at a glance. This Taoist really has some skills.

"Master, those are two women. When they saw you coming this way, they thought you were bad guys, so I asked them to hide." Old Liu said immediately, "I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot about this. I'm really sorry. I almost caused a misunderstanding."

Then he immediately stood up and walked behind the statue.

Not long after.

Old Liu came out with the two women.

One of the women was a woman in her early thirties, and the other was a girl of eighteen or nineteen. They looked exhausted, with ashes smeared on their faces. They were unkempt, and looked reserved and nervous.

"Hello, Taoist Priest." Their eyes suddenly lit up when they saw Li Yi.

I didn't expect that this Taoist who suddenly arrived was so tall and handsome. No wonder he was thought to be a mountain monster. With such an appearance, appearing in the wilderness, it is indeed easy to arouse suspicion.

Li Yi smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "I am Taiyi, you are polite."

The two women hurriedly returned the greeting, then sat down aside without saying a word, somewhat shyly, but they looked over here from time to time, as if they were very curious about Li Yi.

"It's not easy for a woman to go out. As a guide, I must get them out of this area safely. The monsters in the mountains and wilds on the road are minor issues. What I'm most worried about is the unpredictable human heart." Old Liu said as he added firewood to the fire.

"That makes sense." Li Yi replied.

Old Liu said, "Dear guests, it's getting late now. If you are tired after traveling all day, go and rest. I will keep watch. But please don't sleep too deeply. If there is any movement, I will wake you up immediately."

"I feel relieved to have you keeping watch, Taoist priest. I won't disturb you any more. I'll go to rest first." The scholar Lu Yue yawned and said tiredly.

After the other two guests closed the doors and windows, they spread some hay next to the fire and lay down to sleep.

Although several people wanted to see Li Yi perform magic to broaden their horizons, but when they saw that Li Yi had no such idea, they simply stopped talking about it. It would be better to go to bed early and get up early tomorrow to get enough energy to continue their journey.

See they are all resting.

Old Liu asked cautiously, "Master, do you think it's peaceful here tonight?"

Li Yi looked around at this moment, sensing the surrounding atmosphere, and smiled: "It's not too peaceful."

"really."

Old Liu's heart sank. "I had a bad feeling when the incense at the mountain temple went out. Taoist priest, how do you think we can get through tonight?"

Although he didn't really trust the Taoist priest Li Yi, he still asked for advice humbly.

"Just sleep as usual. Meeting is fate. If any mountain monsters come to disturb us, I will take action." Li Yi said.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Taoist priest."

Old Liu said as he untied a gourd from his waist: "Master, it's very cold this night, I'll treat you with this pot of rice wine, I hope you don't mind."

Li Yi smiled slightly, did not refuse, and took it with his hand: "Okay, okay."

He was not greedy for the pot of wine from others, but only if he accepted the gift would others feel at ease.

Old Liu felt much more at ease. He then got up and went to the side room to get a few bundles of dry firewood that he had prepared earlier, intending to sit around the fire all night.

"Master, please go and rest first. I'll watch over you. If there's anything else, I'll trouble you again."

Li Yi was not sleepy, but he did not reject the other party's kindness. He just stood up and moved away from the fire, found a secluded corner to sit down, then closed his eyes, adjusted his qi and blood, and tried to find the location of the fourteenth acupoint to lay a good foundation for his next step of practice.

After all, one of the main purposes of coming to this world is to practice.

The mountain temple quickly became quiet, and the sky outside became completely dark. From time to time, gusts of mountain wind blew, bringing in wisps of damp and cold air.

Old Liu shrank his body and added a few more pieces of firewood to make the room warmer.

In the first half of the night, everything was fine.

Everyone fell asleep peacefully one by one, even Old Liu dozed off.

But it was midnight.

A thin figure inadvertently rushed out from the nearby woods, and came to the outside of the mountain temple under the attraction of some kind of aura. The figure wandered around, and facing the door sprinkled with incense ashes, it never dared to get close, but finally stopped at a window.

Because there was no incense ash sprinkled on this window.

Soon, the figure bit through the window paper and stuck half of its head in.

It turned out to be a weasel.

But the weasel stood at the window, looking at everything in the temple. It neither came in nor left. It just stared at the sleeping scholar Lu Yue quietly. Then its belly began to bulge, as if it was breathing. Its breathing frequency was very strange. When Lu Yue exhaled, it inhaled. When Lu Yue inhaled, it exhaled, and it repeated this process as if it was breathing.

Lu Yue was sleeping soundly next to the fire, but he felt cold all over and had an indescribable chill.

But when he wanted to wake up, his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't open them.

Old Liu was dozing off and didn't notice anything, but the field mouse in his arms smelled the weasel's scent and became restless.

suddenly.

Li Yi, who was exploring the acupoints in his body, felt a strange breath and opened his eyes. His eyes were very bright, which was particularly eye-catching in the dark temple, and he saw something unusual with his eyes.

At this moment, wisps of breath were leaking out from the sleeping Lu Yue, and then all fell into the mouth of the weasel near the window.

"Is this stealing the essence of the human body to practice cultivation?" Li Yi's expression changed slightly: "Is this the way the spirits in this world practice cultivation?"

However, this kind of practice is somewhat evil, as human essence is the foundation of the human body. If it is severely lost, the person may get sick at the very least, or die prematurely at the worst.

But the advantage is that the practice progresses very quickly, because the human body's essence can nourish the soul and the body. If the amount of energy collected is large enough, it can really make some progress. The Heaven and Earth Qi Gathering Method practiced by Li Yi has a similar practice method, but what he collects is not the essence of the human body, but the essence of heaven and earth.

He then picked up a stone from the ground and threw it away.

call out!
The stone flew away with a burst of anger.

The weasel that was stealing people's popularity on the window had just reacted when the stone pierced its head.

Then the fire in the heart spread, and the weasel's body was immediately ignited. In an instant, all the flesh and blood were burned, leaving only a beautiful fur.

"Return the property to its original owner."

Then Li Yi grabbed through the air, absorbed a stream of essence from the burnt flesh and blood, and then injected it into the body of the scholar Lu Yue.

Although these essences are insignificant to him, they are a blessing for an ordinary person. They are enough to strengthen his body and cure all his diseases.

Lu Yue, who had felt very cold before, now felt an indescribable warmth in his body. He seemed to have returned to the bed and fell asleep comfortably.

After solving this problem, Li Yi continued to close his eyes and visualize the gods' martial arts performance, exploring the acupoints in his body.

I thought I would spend this night peacefully.

As a result, another hour passed, and in the middle of the night, everyone in the temple heard a voice floating in from all directions.

"Help, help, someone save me."

It was a woman's voice, sounding sad and miserable, with a hint of crying, which made people feel pity.

Strange to say.

As soon as this voice appeared, everyone in the mountain temple woke up at the same time. No matter how comfortably they had slept before, they immediately became alert at this moment. It seemed that there was a magical power in this voice that was irresistible.

"I fell asleep." The dozing old Liu stood up in shock. He had planned to keep watch all night, but he didn't know when he fell asleep in a daze.

Judging from the state of the fire in front of him, he was afraid that he had slept for at least two or three hours.

"Damn it."

He slapped himself hard, thinking that his body was not as good as it was when he was young, otherwise how could he not be able to hold on for less than half a night.

But when everyone heard the crying sound coming from outside, they were so scared that their faces turned pale.

"Old Liu, what is crying? It can't be a human." The scholar Lu Yue said in horror.

"You are not stupid, scholar. You know that the people crying for help outside are not humans. They are ghosts in the mountains. They are leading people into the mountains. Don't leave the mountain temple. Once you go out, you can't come back." Old Liu said very solemnly, and then he looked at the Taoist not far away.

You are quite steady, still resting with your eyes closed at this time.

Fortunately, nothing happened in the first half of the night.

and many more.

Suddenly, Old Liu looked around, and with his sharp eyes he immediately saw a hole in the window. Hanging in the hole was a weasel skin, which was shiny and translucent, and much larger than ordinary skins.

He moved closer and reached out to take it.

But there was no bone or flesh inside the skin, only a layer of black ash, as if it had been burnt by fire, but the strange thing was that the skin was not damaged at all.

"That Taoist priest really has real skills." Old Liu was surprised and happy, knowing in his heart that it must have been that Taoist priest who took action.

Because there is not even any incense ash at the window, it has nothing to do with the mountain god.

Just when he was about to express his gratitude to the Taoist.

suddenly.

At the hole in the window, Old Liu suddenly saw a strange and creepy eye peeping towards him from outside the window. Faintly, he seemed to see a woman's pale face.

"Damn it."

Even though Old Liu had been a guide for more than ten years, he was frightened and screamed and quickly stepped back.

The others were also startled by the sudden scream.

"Where, where is the ghost?" asked the scholar Lu Yue tremblingly.

Old Liu said nothing, but just kept backing away, trying to get as far away from the window as possible, for fear that the evil spirit outside would pounce in and kill him.

But right now.

Bang! Bang.

Suddenly, there was a strong knock on the tightly closed door of the temple. The heavy door was shaken violently and seemed to fall down at any time.

(End of this chapter)