Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 144: Old Friends, What Night Is Today (Four Thousand More in the Evening!)
The Tang Dynasty's Nanjiang Prefecture was originally Shiyuan County, and is now Chixin City.

In this emerging and prosperous city in the south, the neatly arranged green tiles and white walls can be vaguely seen in the mist and rain.

Under the broad and thick city walls, there is a rippling moat surrounding the city, with a long bridge spanning the river, reflecting the laughter of many passers-by.

There are shops on both sides of the street, flags of various colors fluttering in the wind, and copper bells ringing.

In front of the silk shop, gorgeous silks hang like waterfalls, attracting passing merchants.

From spices to porcelain, from jade to gold and silver ornaments, as well as the incessant hawking sounds, all of these reflect the wealth and prosperity of this new city in southern Xinjiang.

In the market, vendors were carrying their loads on their shoulders and shouting their wares. Fresh fish and shrimps were jumping in wooden barrels, splashing water from time to time.

The teahouse was packed and the air was filled with the faint aroma of fruits and tea.

As the sun sets, the golden afterglow falls on the green tiles, and the reflected light seems to light up the sky.

The city gradually fell into tranquility. As night fell and the lights came on, another lively scene was slowly unfolding.

On the second floor of the teahouse, three young Taoist priests, one man and two women, were drinking tea, and below them was a shadow play.

An artist uses animal skin or cardboard to make silhouettes of people, and uses lights to illuminate them to perform stories. The story performed today is:

At Shilipo, the Taoist Chixin broke twenty-four armors with his sword!
Save the people from distress.

"More than 50 years ago, our place was still called Shiyuan County. People were poorly clothed and poorly fed. When an old person turned 50, they would be carried by their children to the Python Mountain to feed the pythons. Every few years, a child would be sent to the Black Temple to have his heart and liver taken out...

Because at that time, our place was occupied by a group of murderous and blood-kissing demons. We endured it until one day a young Taoist official from the Great Tang Dynasty came here.

he asks:

"Old man, how do I get to the local county government office?"

The owner of the shadow play stall tells the story of some things that happened when Lu Cheng first arrived here more than 50 years ago. Due to the long time, some things are no longer accurate. For example, the four major families that occupied this place at that time, Li, Tu, Zou, and You, are now directly accused of being demons, grinding their teeth and sucking blood, killing people like crazy.

After the basic story background is explained, the shadow play performance begins:
The cause, process, and result, the progressive literary drama, and after a climax fight, the shadow puppet representing the Taoist Chixin stabbed down the last demon, and the audience around burst into cheers.

This story has been enduring in Chixin City. It is the memory of the elderly, some middle-aged people, and a legend that some teenagers and children have heard since childhood.

"You have managed a barren land to the point where today there is almost no looting and no doors locked at night. You must have great merit."

On the second floor of the teahouse, a beautiful nun was pouring tea for a man. Although she was wearing a veil, she was dressed in proper female Taoist attire, with a slim figure and a beautiful face. Naturally, she attracted many people's attention as she served tea to Lu Cheng.

However, the Tang Dynasty worships Taoism, and there are many cultivators living together with mortals, so they just look at it with a sidelong glance. Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger have long been accustomed to it.

"Exterminating the four families and dividing their land and property are only temporary solutions. What really made this place prosperous was the Chen brothers and sisters' construction of water conservancy projects, the elimination of poisonous miasma, and the protection of trade routes. They have been keeping the area safe for decades. But most people think that I have accomplished my mission by killing all the evil cultivators recruited by the four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You."

At this moment, some whispers came from the side. The voice was intentionally lowered, but Lu Cheng still heard it.

"The Chixin Temple is getting worse every year. It's just that a scorpion demon is causing trouble. It has been several years, and it has never been properly dealt with. It causes trouble every once in a while, and many people are bound to die..."

"Yes, everything is peaceful and tranquil in the Demon Villa in Xicheng Town. Compared with Old Man Beimo and Master Pei Fangxuan, the magic power of the three friends in Chixin Temple is too weak to support this family business."

Just as the monks at that table were whispering, there was a snap and a spirit stone fell on their table.

Several people at the table turned around in surprise, only to see a young man in Taoist attire, accompanied by two female cultivators on his left and right, sitting by the window of the teahouse. He was young, handsome, and a stranger!
"If you have nothing to do, would you like to have tea with me? I have just arrived in your precious place and I am not very familiar with many local sects. Would you like to help me solve my doubts?"

What the people at that table were talking about was not a secret in the first place, it was just that it was difficult to talk about it in the local area. Lu Cheng was willing to spend spirit stones to listen, so they naturally talked one after another and said whatever they knew.

It turns out that more than 50 years have passed, and the original Ishihara County has become the current Akashin City, and many things have changed with the passage of time.

Because of the belief in Chixin God, common people still worship Chixin Temple. They still only recognize Chixin Temple, and this recognition even exceeds that of the government.

But in the Tongxuan Realm, it didn’t matter whether the output of Shiyuan City was divided among the four major families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You, or was occupied by a few Qi training realm cultivators.

But today, more than fifty years later, due to its prosperous economy and concentrated population, Chixin City has become the most prosperous city of the Tang Dynasty in southern Xinjiang.

Its taxes and output of spiritual objects are not something that three Foundation Establishment cultivators can monopolize.

Many cultivators gathered here, including cultivators from southern Xinjiang and even second-rate cultivators from the Central Plains Xuanmen, to establish their own forces. However, the prestige of the local landlord, Chixin Temple, was not very high.

"I heard that the former head of the Red Heart Temple, Master Lu, is now practicing Taoism in the Myriad Beasts Incarnation Palace and is quite famous. If not, the position of head of the Red Heart Temple would not have been passed to the current head of the Temple, Master Chen."

"Alas, Master Chen set up a formation here to dispel the miasma, built water conservancy projects, and managed the area, which is also a meritorious deed." Hearing this, Lu Cheng couldn't help but defend his friend.

"What's the use of that? The emperor should have strong soldiers and horses. This sentence also applies to our cultivation world. What's more, the formations that Master Chen set up back then can be set up by just picking a few people now. What's the difficulty?"

After hearing these words from a Taoist priest, Lu Cheng stopped talking.

Now the cultivators of Chixin City are more interested in the Demon-Suppressing Villa which was built in the city more than ten years ago. The owner of the villa is Pei Fangxuan, who is a kind-hearted and righteous man with the demeanor of an elder. He has the magical power of the fourth level of Condensing Evil. His master, Old Man Beimo, is an expert in the realm of Refining Gang.

It’s just that Master Pei is quite good friends with Master Chen of Chixin Monastery, otherwise he would have replaced him long ago.

"That red fire scorpion also caused trouble in West City once, but was driven away by Master Pei's flying fork and never dared to invade again. It was unlike the Red Heart Monastery, where it was made uninhabitable because of the disturbance."

Lu Cheng originally just wanted to take a look at the development and changes of the original Ishihara County and the current Chixin City, but he unexpectedly learned about this matter.

On that day, he did not go to Chixin Temple to meet his old friends, the Chen brothers and sisters, as originally planned. Instead, he took Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger to stay at a local inn.

"We have to take care of Qingfeng and Qingyun. The third-level red fire scorpion has taken this place as its nest. Are you reluctant to go? If that's the case, then there's no need to go."

After waiting for half a month, one afternoon, chaos broke out in the South City. It was rumored that a monster appeared and ate people underground.

As soon as Xue Yuzhen and Yun Linger realized this, they saw a sword rainbow rising into the sky. It turned out to be Lu Cheng, who was practicing in the room with the help of the Five Elements True Evil Gourd to condense his evil spirit. They quickly rushed over.

"mother?"

Yun Ling'er looked at Xue Yuzhen.

"We will go together. Your Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen took good care of us back then. If we can help, we will do our best."

"Okay. But I'm afraid that by the time we get there, Dad will have already shelled and dismembered the red fire scorpion."

Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er also transformed into two rays of light and flew away.

But when the two arrived, they were surprised to see that the red fire scorpion was still showing off its might.

After not seeing each other for more than 30 years, Chen Qingfeng, Chen Qingyun and Luo Peifang have all changed. At this moment, the three of them are working together to hunt down the red fire scorpion.

Flying swords, flying needles, flying cones, and even spells, Chen Qingyun is a spell maker, Luo Peifang is a weapon refiner, and Chen Qingfeng is good at formations, all three are not weak. But under the spells and magic weapons, the red fire scorpion rushed in from all sides, fighting so hard that houses collapsed and chaos all around, but it was difficult to kill it.

"Alas?"

Xue Yuzhen sighed in confusion and was about to use her magic weapon, but at this moment, a hand pressed down on her and Yun Ling'er's shoulders.

"Wait a minute, there's something wrong with this red fire scorpion, don't attack it yet."

But he had already arrived at Lu City, which was hidden by the Tianyi True Jue.

After a while, when the red fire scorpion was still full of energy, Lu Cheng suddenly appeared and drew his sword.

The sword rainbow he summoned only swept past and injured the red fire scorpion, causing it to roll over in pain and try to burrow into the ground, but the earth sword with its hidden edge slashed and bounced it out again.

With Lu Cheng's sword power, he could kill the monster with one sword, but he just swept his sword past it, injuring it but not killing it.

After dozens of sword strikes, the red fire scorpion began to drill into an uninhabited area of ​​earth and rocks without any regard for anything else.

At this time, Lu Cheng did not kill the red fire scorpion again, but swung out a sword and slashed at the earth and rocks. After the sword light of the wooden sword pharmacist cut in, the endless and dense sword energy pierced every inch of the land.

"what!"

With a low cry, a man in black suddenly broke out from the earth and rocks.

His eyes were fixed on Lu Cheng.

"Boy, do you know who I am? How dare you interfere in the affairs of the Southern Demon Cult?"

"If you, Yinshan Zhenren, came in person, I would be a little wary."

With a sneer, the flaming sword slashed out, and the sword light changed intricately as if a prairie fire was spreading. The man in black raised a black iron flying shield, but the sword light was spinning so fast that he couldn't block it.

The extremely overbearing red sword fire sealed the black-clothed man's magic power and energy in just one glance, causing him to fall to the ground. The red fire scorpion that had originally been flying towards here without caring about anything, saw this scene, and suddenly turned its head and flapped its wings to fly in the opposite direction, trying to escape.

"Where are you going? Come back to me."

Lu Cheng used the Five Elements Sword to fly and move, and pulled back the fourth-order red fire scorpion that was flying outside.

Then, as the sleeves of his Taoist robe were waved, a dark golden light shone through. As the red fire scorpion shrank smaller and smaller and fell into the Jiuli Cauldron, Lu Cheng could sense the spiritual connection between it and the man in black. However, the man in black had his magic power sealed, and his life and death were in his hands. This weak connection was forcibly severed.

The Red Fire Scorpion entered the Jiuli Cauldron, but Lu Cheng looked down on it and threw it directly into the insect world where the poisonous golden silkworm Gu resided.

"Thank you for your help, Chixin Temple is grateful."

It was not until this time that Chen Qingfeng, who looked like a middle-aged scholar, flew over, bowed and spoke.

"Hahahaha, Brother Chen, you don't recognize me now?"

Lu Cheng used a spell to draw a line in front of himself, removing the ever-changing demonic appearance that he often displayed when he was out, revealing his true appearance.

"Brother Lu!"

The first person to react was Chen Qingyun.

"Brother Chen, Sister Qingyun, Sister Peifang, we haven't seen each other for many years. Don't you recognize us?" Xue Yuzhen pulled Yun Ling'er and flew out.

Everyone was delighted to see each other.

"Just now? What happened just now? Who is this person?"

Chen Qingyun pointed at the man in black on the ground with some confusion. She also saw the scene where Lu Cheng took away the red fire scorpion that had given them a headache for a long time.

"Someone has used a fourth-level monster to frequently cause trouble for you, in order to undermine the prestige of the Red Heart Temple. Ha, let's not talk about this for now. I think I already understand what's going on. This matter is not important. Let's go back to the Red Heart Temple first."

Although they had not seen each other for more than 30 years, everyone still trusted Lu Cheng as before. Only Chen Qingfeng had a slightly strange expression when he looked at the man in black on the ground, as if he had thought of something, but he quickly suppressed it.

After not seeing each other for many years, everyone's cultivation has made progress, especially Yun Linger, who has already cultivated to the foundation of immortality, which makes Chen Qingfeng, Chen Qingyun and Luo Peifang very happy. After all, this child was grown up in their eyes.

"Brother Chen, your progress in cultivation is a bit slow. You don't need to worry too much about the affairs of Chixin Temple. After all, a cultivator should focus on his cultivation."

Chen Qingyun and Luo Peifang's magic power has already reached the middle stage of the fourth level of foundation building. In comparison, Chen Qingfeng only has the magic power of the second level of foundation building. Under the premise that the cultivation resources in Chixin Temple are quite sufficient, such progress in magic power is undoubtedly unsatisfactory.

It takes a lot of effort to run a force, but generally speaking, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. However, Chen Qingfeng's magic power can almost be said to have stagnated.

"Alas, Old Lu, you are a genius. You challenged all living beings with your sword at the Eight Scenes and Eight Scenes Dharma Assembly, and ranked among the top six young cultivators in the world. You have a bright future if you devote yourself to the Tao. Even the path to immortality may not be without a chance. But I...haha, I'm sorry to make you laugh."

After Chen Qingfeng answered like this, Lu Cheng didn't know what to say anymore. It was okay for fellow Taoists to advise each other, but Chen Qingfeng was obviously discouraged and had abandoned his Taoist faith.

"Back then, did Uncle Fan's incident have such a big impact on him?"

After not seeing each other for many years, they had a pleasant conversation and returned to Chixin Temple together.

He Lan, the former chief priest of Chixin Temple, had passed away due to old age and died on her bed, but her soul had entered the domain of Chixin God, practicing Taoism and accumulating merits. Lu Cheng had known this for a long time.

At this time, the chief priest of Chixin Temple was Ye Lan's son, Xu Sheng, who was rescued by Lu Cheng at Shilipo.

Over the years, relying on his status as the chief priest of Chixin Temple, he married the daughter of a cultivation family, had children, and lived a happy life.

However, Xu Sheng also worked very hard to manage the Chixin Temple, and shared a lot of chores with Chen Qingfeng. He worked very hard and made some contributions, so his position was naturally secured.

"Guanzhu!"

When he saw Lu Cheng again, Xu Sheng was already an old man with gray hair on his temples. Although he was still strong, looking at the Taoist priest who was still the same as before, he still felt as if he was in another world.

"Our family, no, the entire Red Heart City has changed its fate because of your arrival. I never thought I would be able to see you again before I die. I will die without regrets."

Xu Sheng knelt in front of Lu Cheng, tears streaming down his face. When he was young, he was a very reckless and tough person, but now that he is older, his temperament has become gentler.

"It's been thirty years since we last met."

In this era, thirty years is almost a generation. Lu Cheng felt a little emotional as he looked at Xu Sheng, who was kneeling in front of him and crying.

At night, Chixin Temple set up a sumptuous banquet to entertain its former owner. The people who sang and danced gracefully in the past have changed for several generations, but those who sat on the high seats and drank at the banquet are still the old friends. This is the life of a monk.

(End of this chapter)