The Terror of the Heavens Begins with Gu

Chapter 273 Send Zhang Dadan to find the cat demon
The fat man was in a daze and didn't see Li Zhen at all, nor did he notice the carriage on the road. He walked straight past Li Zhen.

Looking at that chubby face, Li Zhen confirmed that he was not mistaken.

This surprised him a little.

Did I stumble upon a familiar world while searching for a cat?
The world is far more interesting than Li Zhen imagined.

Li Zhen put on the prepared bamboo hat to cover his scarred face, and suddenly shouted, "Zhang Dadan!"

Zhang Dadan, who was standing there dumbfounded, trembled and looked around: "Who...who called me?!"

He turned around and saw Li Zhen: "Did you call me? Do you know me?"

“Of course I know you. You’re quite well-known around here.” Li Zhen pretended to look Zhang Dadan’s face up and down. “Your face looks dark, you might not survive this upcoming crisis. Don’t worry, I’m not a conman. We’re complete strangers, and you don’t seem to have much money. What good would it do me to cheat you?”

Zhang Dadan scratched his head: "You're a mage? Why do you look so mysterious?"

Li Zhen laughed and said, "Aren't all sorcerers mysterious? That's not important. What's important is that you're facing a major tribulation. Judging from your deathly aura, you must have just come from a mortuary or a shrine where corpses are kept? You must have encountered something unclean there, like a zombie."

Upon hearing the word "zombie," Zhang Dadan, who hadn't slept all night, was completely wide awake with fright.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said, "I did encounter some unclean things, but I've survived the night..."

Li Zhen interrupted, saying, "The calamity energy on your body hasn't dissipated. You'll definitely encounter strange things tonight. This is related to your fate, and you can't change it."

Zhang Dadan retorted, "Fine, I won't go. I'll just stay home and sleep tonight, and see if any strange things come my way."

Li Zhen pretended to count on his fingers: "I've predicted that you'll face another calamity tonight. This calamity will begin in the morning. As you walk further ahead, you'll immediately encounter someone whose name contains the character for 'flower'. That will be the beginning of your tribulation."

"I refuse to believe that anyone can stop me from going home to sleep." Zhang Dadan turned and left.

Last night he went to the Ma Family Ancestral Hall and was terrified by the zombies. There's no way he'd go there tonight to test his courage.

If he doesn't want to go, who can make him go to that godforsaken place?

Having made up his mind, he ran faster and faster.

Li Zhen watched Zhang Dadan's retreating figure thoughtfully.

This really is the world of "Encounters of the Spooky Kind".

Judging from the current scene, Zhang Dadan must have been paid and was tricked into going to the Ma Family Ancestral Hall to test his courage for the first time.

A zombie has been prepared inside the Ma family ancestral hall, just waiting for Zhang Dadan to come at night, ready to ensure he never leaves.

The person who wanted to harm Zhang Dadan was Boss Tan, who was having an affair with Zhang Dadan's wife.

Who knew that Zhang Dadan would be so lucky as to meet Master Xu, who looked remarkably like Master Qianhe.

Master Xu told him to hide on the roof beam at the second watch of the night and under the coffin at the fifth watch of the night to escape the calamity.

Zhang Dadan did as he was told, and that's how he survived.

However, this was only the beginning; Zhang Dadan would soon...

The little devil's voice came from the carriage: "What do you want with this person? He doesn't have the scent of a cat on him."

Li Zhen explained, "It's best if we don't enter the city easily, otherwise the cat demon might sense our arrival and run away. Therefore, it's the best option to find someone to help us enter the city and investigate where the cat is hiding."

"Why did you choose this person? He looks dull and doesn't seem to have anything special about him," the kid asked curiously.

Li Zhen laughed and said, "This man is bold and lucky. It would be difficult to kill him. It would be best to let him do things."

"Then why don't you just keep him here? Why let him go? I could try to bewitch him and get him to do things for you."

"It's okay, he'll be back soon."

Li Zhen leaned back on the cushion and took out some dry food and water to eat.

Once his body began to recover, he felt hungry very easily.

Suddenly, he looked up at a certain part of the sky.

Just a moment ago, he experienced an unprecedented sense of relaxation, as if all the shackles binding him had disappeared at that moment.

But this feeling came quickly and went quickly.

During the time he looked up at the sky, the feeling slowly disappeared.

However, Li Zhen was certain that the feeling he had just experienced was not a hallucination.

Is this the effect of the "prayer ritual" mentioned by Master Ji and others?
This was the first thing that came to Li Zhen's mind.

If we calculate the time, what if Master Ji helps him overnight?

……

In Fukang County, Master Ji looked at the raging flames burning in front of him with a somewhat surprised expression.

Praying for blessings is not a simple matter, but a complex and rigorous religious ritual, the purpose of which is to pray for blessings and to ward off disasters and misfortunes.

A typical prayer ceremony usually includes a preparation phase and a ritual phase.

The preparation stage typically involves steps such as selecting an auspicious time and location, setting up the altar, and preparing ritual implements.

When the ceremony is formally conducted, it usually follows the steps of opening the altar, offering incense, reciting incantations, and then inviting the saints, summoning them, and presenting petitions.

The table above outlines the core steps for praying for blessings.

Generally, prayers are written on yellow paper scrolls, which are called petitions or memorials.

The petition will specify the name, date of birth, address, and request of the person making the request.

The Taoist priest presiding over the ceremony will read the petition in front of the patriarch, and then burn it together with the gold ingots in the incense burner.

This process is called "presenting the memorial," which means that the memorial is presented directly to the patriarch along with the smoke.

Master Ji had performed many blessings, but this was the first time he had performed a blessing for someone with an eerie aura.

He had expected the patriarch's response to be rather cold, or even nonexistent, but when he saw the flames burning so brightly during the "transformation" process, he found it rather strange.

Is there anything special about Li Zhen?
Why was the patriarch so attentive to Li Zhen?
What secrets are hidden inside that he doesn't know about?

Zhou Tianshi, who was standing not far away, was also somewhat surprised by this scene.

When he first heard Master Ji suggest that his actions might be partly influenced by certain patriarchs, he only half believed it.

Now, he completely believed what Master Ji had said.

The reaction of the Maoshan Patriarch was indeed a bit too enthusiastic...

Li Zhen withdrew his gaze, sensed the changes within himself, and examined his body. Finding no obvious differences, he ignored the matter.

If this blessing ritual is truly effective, it will eventually show its effect when he needs it. If it's useless to him, then so be it.

He got to where he is today not because of any rituals or ceremonies.

Li Zhen continued eating, glancing occasionally in the direction Zhang Dadan had left.

That kid still hasn't come back?
The urging from the runes grew stronger and stronger.

Li Zhen felt that he could only stay in this world for a day and a night at most.

If the cat demon cannot be found during this period, or if it escapes, things will get complicated.

……

Zhang Dadan walked briskly on the road back to the county town, ignoring everything he saw.

Just as he was about to reach the county town, a panting man finally caught up with him: "Hey, Zhang Dadan, how come you ran so fast? Oh my, I'm exhausted! I almost... I almost lost half my life running like that..."

The newcomer placed his hand on Zhang Dadan's shoulder and leaned softly against him.

Despite his obesity, Zhang Dadan was actually very agile. With a nimble movement, he knocked the man to the ground.

He rubbed his eyes and saw that the man on the ground who kept groaning was wearing a black melon-shaped hat, had a white nose, and had a pair of eyebrows that looked like they were on the ground. He had a cunning look on his face. It was none other than his friend, the mangy dog, who often drank and boasted with him.

"What do you want from me?" Zhang Dadan asked irritably as he helped the mangy dog ​​up.

He went to the Ma Family Ancestral Hall because of a bet he made with this mangy dog ​​in front of him, and he had no choice but to go.

If it weren't for his good luck in meeting that Master Xu, he would probably be a corpse by now. So how could he possibly speak kindly to this person?

"My back...it's about to break!" The mangy dog ​​scrambled to his feet, clutching his back, and gave Zhang Dadan a thumbs-up with a smug grin. "Zhang Dadan, you're really something! You even dared to go to the Ma family ancestral hall, and at night no less! I'm truly impressed!"

Zhang Dadan revealed a smug expression.

His boldness has always been his greatest pride, and now that it has earned him the respect of others, how could he not be proud?

The mangy dog's eyes darted around, and he suddenly forced several silver ingots into Zhang Dadan's hand: "Let's make another bet. If you dare to go to the Ma family ancestral hall again tonight, then this silver is yours."

Zhang Dadan became wary as soon as he received the money.

Upon hearing what the mangy dog ​​said, he immediately realized what was happening and quickly pushed the money back into the mangy dog's hand.

But the mangy dog ​​said, "Zhang Dadan, if you're really that bold, then go again. Only then will I truly admire you, and I'll tell everyone how amazing you are! If anyone doesn't respect you, I'll be the first to deal with them."

Zhang Dadan hesitated for a moment, but when he thought of the horror of the Ma family ancestral hall at night, he became determined again and pushed the money back into the mangy dog's hand.

Oh no, what should we do if this guy is too scared to go to the Ma family ancestral hall?
Just as the mangy dog ​​was feeling at a loss, a sudden idea struck him. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't you suspect your wife is having an affair? If you go to the Ma family ancestral hall again, I'll tell you. This is no joke. If you think I'm wrong, you can beat me up. I definitely won't run away."

Zhang Dadan's refusal, which changed several times, was not as firm as before.

The mangy dog ​​shoved the silver back into Zhang Dadan's hand, turned and ran, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Realizing what had happened, Zhang Dadan tried to chase after the mangy dog, but when he lifted his right leg, the mangy dog's back was already out of sight.

He looked down at the silver in his hand, his expression shifting, when suddenly he remembered something and his face changed drastically.

This "mangy dog" is just a nickname. He is the ninth child in his family, and his surname is Hua. People sometimes call him Hua Lao Jiu because he has the character "Hua" in his name.

So that person was a real master, even more effective than Master Xu!
He grabbed the silver and ran back the way he came.

Zhang Dadan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the carriage was still parked in the same spot.

Hearing Zhang Dadan's footsteps approaching from afar, Li Zhen put the bamboo hat on his head.

Reaching the carriage, Zhang Dadan, still catching his breath, cried out, "Help...help me, Master! He's here! The person with the flower in their name has really come!"

Li Zhen said, "See, I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Zhang Dadan nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right, absolutely right!"

Li Zhen shook his head: "Making you go back to the Ma family ancestral hall at night isn't the scariest thing. Do you know what the scariest thing is?"

Before Zhang Dadan could speak, he continued, "The scariest thing is that your friend knows that place is so eerie and dangerous, yet he still wants you to go there. Once wasn't enough; he wants you to go twice. Isn't that clearly trying to harm you?"

"If it happens twice, it will happen three times. Unless you die, he will keep using insidious schemes to harm you."

"Even if you manage to keep the zombies out of the Ma family ancestral hall, can you always be on guard against someone poisoning your food?"

Zhang Dadan turned pale with fright: "Is he really that... vicious? I don't think I have any grudges with my friend."

“You may think there’s no grudge, but you might be blocking someone’s way or hindering their interests without realizing it,” Li Zhen said. “If you don’t understand why others want to harm you, you’ll be harmed sooner or later.”

Zhang Dadan, recalling the mangy dog's unusual behavior, felt even more terrified and hurriedly pleaded, "Master, please save my life!"

Seeing that the time was right, Li Zhen said, "I came here for something, and saving you would delay my business."

Zhang Dadan was about to plead when he heard Li Zhen say, "If you go into the city and do something for me, I will save your life, resolve all your problems, and let you have no more worries."

Zhang Dadan patted his chest and assured, "Master, please speak. Whatever it is, I will do it!"

Detective Li asked, "Has anything strange happened in the city recently? Like someone suddenly dying mysteriously?"

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dadan said, "A bizarre and tragic death... seems unlikely."

"Is there anywhere in the city that suddenly smells of fish?"

"It seems like there isn't one for that either."

"Then go and investigate. If you find any place in the city where a fishy smell suddenly appears, or any other strange occurrence, come and tell me immediately. I'll wait for you here. I'll help you tonight."

"Then I'll go and try to find it now."

“Be careful, do it in private, don’t let anyone know what you’re doing, otherwise my business won’t be finished,” Li Zhen said finally.

The request sounded a bit strange, but considering that the other party was a mage, Zhang Dadan didn't find it strange at all.

As he pondered how to find the fishy smell or strange occurrences that Li Zhen had mentioned, he walked into the city.

Li Zhen watched as Zhang Dadan's figure gradually disappeared from sight.

The little devil's voice came from the carriage: "Can he find that cat?"

“There shouldn’t be any problem,” Li Zhen replied. “That cat makes some strange noises no matter where it is. It’s not hard to find it, but it’s hard to find it without it noticing.”

The little devil asked curiously, "Aren't you worried that the cat will discover this person is looking for it and kill him?"

Li Zhen laughed and said, "Don't let his chubby appearance fool you, he's actually very skilled. Even if Feng Lei Yu Dian and the others don't use magic, they might not be able to beat him."

“It’s daytime now, and the cat wants to keep its tracks a secret. Even if we find it, we can’t do anything to it. What I’m worried about is that it won’t work hard for me. Also, the cat will run away as soon as it notices something is wrong, so we need to make some preparations.”

(End of this chapter)