The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 114 The Taoist Priest Has Arrived!

Although they quickly found the teahouse, after what had just happened, none of the group dared to sleep.

He was afraid that when he woke up, even this teahouse would have turned into a desolate wilderness.

Even the bravest few would dare to sleep with their head resting on a gravestone or tombstone a second time.

What's more, the group consisted mostly of ordinary people, including a bride-to-be!

I forced myself to stay awake until the middle of the night when I finally couldn't stay awake any longer and managed to doze off for a short while.

When dawn broke and they saw the sun shining brightly in the sky, they reluctantly resumed their journey.

Having vomited all night on the road, and still feeling his stomach churning, the pale-faced镖师 (bodyguard/escort) whispered to the镖头 (chief镖师):

"Big brother, do we really want to keep following them?"

If it weren't for the eldest brother keeping the Taoist priest's instructions in mind last night, all of them would probably have perished in that mass grave.

Now, he is truly afraid.

They certainly weren't afraid of mountain bandits, strongmen, snakes, insects, tigers, or leopards, since they could be killed with a single blow.

If you lose your life, it means you weren't capable enough.

If someone who's escorting goods doesn't have this awareness, what's the point of escorting goods?

But this one today.
He couldn't help but recall what the Taoist priest had said yesterday—this time it's really different!

The thought filled him with regret. Not only had he failed to wake up in time, but he had even spoken disrespectfully to such a wise and compassionate person.

Fortunately, the Taoist priest was truly a master; not only did he not argue with those rough men, but he also gave them special instructions on how to avoid trouble.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) turned around and glared at him, saying:

"Now that things have come to this, you want to leave?"

"Brother, we're just ordinary mortals, and even a little ghost is like this. If that even more dangerous one the Taoist priest mentioned comes, we won't be able to handle it!"

As he spoke, he glanced cautiously at the bride and her entourage behind him, then whispered:
"We've already helped them weather this storm, we've done our best! Brother, you have to think about our families too!"

The others didn't say anything, but their expressions clearly conveyed the same meaning.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) sighed deeply and said:

"What you said, I've thought about it too! But we... we really can't leave!!!"

"Brother?!"

The bodyguard fell silent.

But then he saw a bitter look on the镖头's face: "Brother, have you forgotten what the Taoist priest said yesterday? He said that back then we were 'untainted by karma,' and could still extricate ourselves. Now—" He glanced at everyone, "Do you think we can still extricate ourselves?"

The bodyguards immediately paled.

Yes, the Taoist priest really did say that!

If they run away now, they might end up losing their lives and property.

Then, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) said again:
"Furthermore, the Taoist priest said that these kinds of things will become more and more common in the future. Even if we few镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) retire from this business and never do it again, will living in the city really prevent us from encountering any more of these strange things?"

As the head镖师 (镖师 is a term referring to a镖师 who is skilled in镖局, meaning镖局 is a type of镖局, and the镖师 are skilled in ...

So he earnestly grasped his brother's hand and said:
"Master, you are such a kind-hearted and truly skilled person. We've lived for decades, and this is the first time we've ever seen such a thing! If you don't seize this opportunity, can you really be content?"

"If we do our best on this trip, and the Taoist priest sees that we are honest and reliable people, then even if we don't learn a single skill to help us, we might at least get a few pointers from him, just like last night."

A glint of light flashed in the head镖师's eyes.

"Those are their only hope for survival!"

Upon hearing this, the bodyguards suddenly felt enlightened.

That's right. Since you're going to get stabbed whether you stick your head out or not, why not be a hero for once and take a chance?
"Big brother sees things clearly and makes the right distinction!"

The head镖师 waved his hand at his brothers' admiration and said:
"It's too early to talk about this now. Have we replaced the tinderbox? Have we prepared the kerosene? This is the only trick we have to deal with these evil spirits. We absolutely cannot let this go wrong!" Just thinking about this made the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) feel a chill run down his spine.

If he hadn't taken the Taoist priest's instructions seriously and been holding the tinderbox last night...
Oh no! I can't think about it, I can't think about it. Just thinking about it will take away half of my strength.

Even my legs, which had finally recovered, felt a little weak again.

The bodyguards quickly nodded and said:

"Don't worry, brother, I've checked it several times, it's all set!"

Another bodyguard had a flash of inspiration and said:

"By the way, brother, should I go and ask the bride for her birth date and time?"

This made the others look at him strangely and say:

"What, you even know how to read this?"

"No, no!" the bodyguard quickly explained, "Didn't the Taoist priest say that thing 'harms people but not roads'? It must be something special about the bride. Asking about her birth date and time won't be of much use if it's useless; but if it is useful, then the Taoist priest will remember us brothers, won't he?"

The eyes of all the bodyguards lit up.

Makes sense!
This kid is usually so quiet and reserved, how come he's so quick-witted today?

Without further delay, the group immediately turned around to ask the woman for information.

"Yi Hai, Geng Chen, Geng Wu, Geng Chen".

After giving the bride's birth date and time, the woman looked at the bodyguards nervously and asked:
"Gentlemen of the escort team, is there a problem?"

"Ah, no, no. It just seems very ordinary."

In their view, someone who could attract such dangerous and evil spirits must have an unusual birth chart, right?
They may not know how to calculate, but they have heard of inauspicious times such as "all four pillars of destiny are afflicted by the Lonely Star and the Widow Star".

But no matter how they looked at it, they found it to be quite ordinary.

"Hey, brother!" one of the bodyguards suddenly whispered, "What if they're not actually chasing the bride?"

Upon hearing this, all the bodyguards were taken aback, then suddenly realized what he meant.

That's right! Although they were probably there for the bride, what if they got it wrong?

Therefore, he then inquired about the birth dates and times of the other people.

But after all that effort, it all turned out to be nothing special, just ordinary.

This made them look at each other, wondering if they had really done nothing at all.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was about to say a few words of comfort, telling him not to worry about it.

But then the woman pointed ahead and said with delight:

"Oh dear, Daoist Master, it's the Daoist Master!!!"

These words immediately invigorated everyone.

That's great! The Taoist priest has arrived, now they have someone to rely on!
They all turned around and saw the young Taoist priest they had met yesterday, still standing perfectly in the road, just as they had seen him the first time.

But why is he facing away from them this time?

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who was already terrified quickly raised his hand to signal for quiet.

He immediately beckoned to the bodyguard beside him to follow him as he dismounted.

After smearing the back of their knives with kerosene, they slowly walked over, carrying tinderboxes.

Fortunately, before they got close, the Taoist priest turned around with a smile and said:
"Were you scared last night?"

The bodyguards were overjoyed and wept when they saw who it was.

He really is a Taoist priest!
(End of this chapter)