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

Chapter 191 Golden Words and Infallible Predictions (5k)

Upon witnessing this scene, the numerous bandits gathered around the well felt their hearts tremble with fear.

But since nothing actually came of it, they were still able to barely maintain their composure.

"Brother, let's... let's get out of here! This Jingxie Sect is going too far!"

Before they joined the outlaws, although they encountered all sorts of people, they had seen many things related to daily life, such as wells, and many of them had even dug wells themselves.

But they had never heard of a well that was ten feet deep and whose bottom could not be seen!
Because it's simply impossible to drill a well that deep!

At least that's how it is based on what they see and hear in their daily lives.

The bandit leader was also muttering to himself, but he still said something:
"Tear off the clothes of those donkeys, twist them into ropes, and continue!"

The donkeys were actually captured disaster victims.

Eating people is still a bit disgusting, but eating donkeys is much better.

"Brother?!"

The henchmen holding the ropes were practically in tears. You don't need to go up there yourself; we're facing this eerie old well!
The bandit leader glared and cursed:

"Dare you disobey?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare!"

They hurriedly pulled the rope back up. Those standing nearby began roughly tearing at the clothes of the disaster victims, using them to make ropes.

After reconnecting the weapons, the bandit leader pointed around and said:

“It’s not that I don’t understand you, but look at the surroundings. This well is so deep, it probably really has water! Tell me, are you willing to give up now? What’s the next step?”

As he spoke, he pointed to the dozen or so disaster victims behind him, including the donkey he had mentioned:
"Do you still want to drink that foul-smelling, nauseating human blood?"

The henchmen said no more and simply did as they were told.

But this time, even with an additional three zhang (approximately 13 meters), it still wasn't enough.

Staring at the bottomless, demon-like well, even the bandit leader's face changed completely, and he couldn't help but mutter curses under his breath.

But he was truly unwilling to give up.

After thinking it over for a long time, he finally pointed to the copper chain with a bright idea in his eyes and said:

"Pull the rope up! This brass chain is stuck here, it's definitely all the way to the bottom! Pull it! Pull this thing up!"

The henchmen felt bitter just looking at it, because the copper chain was as big as a bowl.

It plummeted again. If it only went down one or two steps, that would be fine, but if it really hit the bottom, who knows how heavy it would be!
At that point, let alone pulling them up, even if they exert all their strength, they probably still won't be able to move an inch.

But due to the leader's authority, they dared not disobey and could only call on their brothers to join in.

But just as they had expected, it couldn't be shaken in the slightest!
"Brother, this won't do, let's give up! This thing is too heavy!"

The bandit leader's lips twitched for a moment, then he picked up his long knife and pointed it at the donkeys, saying:
"You all go too, all of you go! Once we find water, not only will we not have to eat you, but we can even share a mouthful with you!"

The disaster victims had no choice but to follow.

Strangely enough, the copper chain was something that even twenty or so well-fed bandits couldn't budge together.

But then the dozen or so emaciated disaster victims grabbed the rope tied to it and began to pull.

“Crack.”

A dull, unusual sound actually came from the bottom of the well!
Immediately following was the sound of well water bubbling and churning.

The crowd erupted in jubilation and shouted in unison:
"It's done! It's done!"

However, this ecstasy did not last even a moment—

"call--!"

An irresistible force suddenly surged from the rope! Caught off guard, everyone was instantly pulled from their hands!

And the henchman at the wellhead couldn't dodge in time. He was pulled by the force and fell into the wellhead with a scream!
Everyone's hearts tightened, anticipating that he would be smashed to pieces in an instant.

Who knows
"what--!!!"

The wailing sound continued to echo in the well, growing ever more distant until it completely disappeared from sight.

The area around the well fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's face turned pale, and a chill ran from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

Just how deep is this well?!
Even if someone fell off a cliff, they wouldn't end up like this.

Moreover, given how deep it is, how could so few of them possibly pull this copper chain? And what exactly was that tremendous force just now?
Everyone was still in shock and had no time to think things through—

"it is good!!!"

A loud shout suddenly came from the bottom of the well.

Are there still people down there?

Just as I was about to cry out in surprise, a burly figure shot straight out of the well like a cannonball!

It landed with a loud thud, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

The bearded giant steadied himself, looked around, and burst into loud laughter, his voice booming like a bell:

"Hahahaha! Good, good! I almost thought I was going to die in that godforsaken place, but I didn't expect someone to switch me out!"

After looking around, the burly, bearded man grabbed the bandit leader and asked:

"Did you bring that person?"

For some reason, the bandit leader, who was so feared by the soldiers who dared to charge up and slash him, didn't dare utter a single word in front of this bearded giant.

He clearly didn't have any weapons on him.
"Yes, yes, hero, that's my brother!"

"Fine, whatever the reason, I've finally borne the consequences of your actions. Here you go, we're even!"

As he spoke, he casually pulled out a thick gold ingot the size of a human face from his pocket! Without even looking at it, he casually tossed it at the bandit leader's feet with a "clatter".

Looking at this immense wealth that he could never earn in several lifetimes, the bandit leader felt a bitter taste in his mouth, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

In the past, it would have been incredibly rare.

But now.
Giving it up is wrong, but holding onto it is too heavy; it's a dead end!
The bearded giant noticed his hesitation and asked:
"Too little?"

"No, no, no!" The bandit leader waved his hands frantically, almost kneeling down. "It's just...it's just..."

The bearded man looked around and suddenly realized:

"Oh, it's a bit of a mixed bag. How about this, would you like some water or something to eat?"

"Water! Water, water, water!" The bandit leader was overjoyed, as if he had been granted a pardon.

The burly, bearded man didn't waste any time; he quickly formed several hand seals, then pointed to the depression beside him:
"Hmph! Emerge from the spring!"

The next moment, a large amount of clear spring water actually gushed out from the depression.

"Quickly! This area has no shortage of water veins, but even I can't hold onto this water for too long!"

Everyone rushed forward, not even bothering to fill their cups with water, eagerly gulping down the sweet spring water they hadn't seen in so long.

The bandit leader didn't go; he was the boss, and his underlings dared not go without his water.

So he knelt down directly before the bearded giant:

"Grandpa, Immortal Grandpa, please accept my humble bow!"

The bearded man wasn't having any of it and kicked him back the same way.

He also said:
"I know what you're thinking, but you weren't the one who actually got promoted, so our fates are sealed. I won't care whether you're good or bad, and don't expect me to make you rich!"

Finally, the bearded giant looked at the bandit leader and laughed:

"And another thing, for the sake of us being human, I advise you to get the water and run. This place is not for insignificant people like you!"

The bandit leader asked, puzzled:
"Grandpa Immortal, what do you mean by this?"

The bearded man pointed to the clear spring and said:
"Do you know where this water came from? Heh heh, I stole this water from a Dragon King! I won't say more, you all better watch yourselves!"

Having said that, the bearded man laughed loudly and left.

At the same time, he took out a colorful scale from his pocket and examined it repeatedly.

Although I almost failed today, it was still worth it.

Watching the bearded giant walk further and further away, the bandit leader stared blankly at the well opening.

Dragon King?
Upon realizing this, he was immediately jolted awake and dared not delay any longer, ordering his men to fetch water and run away.
-
The bearded man hadn't gone far when he frowned, seemingly wanting to turn back and avoid the danger, but in the end he sighed and continued onward.

Before long, two young Taoist priests who were waiting by the roadside bowed to him and said:

"I've met senior!"

The bearded man raised an eyebrow and cursed:

"You people from Yiqing Mountain are like persistent ghosts!"

The two young Taoist priests said helplessly:
"Please, senior, have some leeway with your words!"

"Stop arguing! Take it and tell your parents I'm not playing along anymore. This place isn't as simple as they say!"

After saying that, the bearded giant tossed the colorful scales he had just been treasuring to the two Taoist priests.

I thought it wouldn't be a big loss, but it turned out to be a huge loss!
The Sword-Wielding Daoist hurriedly caught the dragon scale containing astonishing water luck and said:

"Please calm down, senior. Our patriarch did indeed say a few days ago that there might be changes in this situation."

"I don't care about this or that, I'm not playing along!"

Variables, variables, he said there might be variables, but he never said there would be such big variables!

It's all his fault for being blinded by greed, listening to these Taoist priests' nonsense. After cursing the young Taoist a couple of times, the burly man with the beard shoved them aside and said:
"Get out of here! If you say another word, I'll skin you alive!"

Having said that, he strode away.

In order to leave as soon as possible, he even went so far as to exhaust himself by using the Earth Escape Technique.

After walking for a long time, the bearded man exclaimed in surprise and then popped out of the ground.

He pulled out a jade pendant, only half-finished, from his waist and said:
"That old bastard Zhang Zuojing is still alive?"

He thought his grandson, who only cared about his life, was long dead, but he never expected him to still be alive!

My heart was filled with excitement.

They went straight there.

Inside the water fortress, Zhang Zuojing, who was instructing Zhang Kui, also felt something and took out the jade pendant, which was also only half a piece, to examine it closely.

The jade pendant emitted a light that then dissipated. Zhang Zuojing then laughed loudly:

"A friend has come from afar!"

"Come, my disciple, let me introduce you to a good friend!"

Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly saw the bald, burly man rushing towards them:

"Master, something's happened! Something's happened outside the village!"

Zhang Zuojing was immediately startled. He had only been entangled with that Taoist priest's karma for less than two or three days, and he was already coming to his door.

But he still forced himself to remain calm and said:

"Is it a Confucian scholar who has come, or something else?"

Hopefully, it will be Confucian gentlemen who come, so that we can have a discussion.
The bald, burly man listened, puzzled:

"Master, what do you mean the Confucian lord has come? I... I found a group of very strange disaster victims!"

"Ok?"

Zhang Zuojing's expression was strange, and then he said:
"I'll explain in detail on the way!"

The bald, burly man hurriedly led the way, limping along.

He said as he walked:
"Didn't you say I owed too much good karma? I was thinking of leading a group to fight the bandits around here to make up for my bad karma, and also to tell the disaster victims along the way that this is a place where water was distributed by the decree of the immortals."

"As a result, I found a group of starving disaster victims on the road. Following the previous method, I gave them the Immortal Lord's Life-Saving Pill."

"But, but the Begging Life Pill didn't work on them at all!"

Zhang Zuojing was instantly startled:
Are you sure you're a disaster victim?

The Begging-for-Life Pill was a life-extending elixir that the Taoist priest borrowed from the Heavenly Dao, using his supreme position and all his merits as collateral! It carries the destiny of heaven and earth!

As for the so-called imperial lineage as proof, Zhang Zuojing completely ignored it, simply saying that the Taoist priest was praising this truly rare emperor. Because the dynasty down the mountain didn't have that kind of influence at all.

In short, this life-saving pill will definitely not fail, and many disaster victims around the water village are relying on it to survive.

Therefore, if something happens, it can only mean that those people were not disaster victims at all!

But to everyone's surprise, the bald, burly man shook his head and said:
“They are definitely disaster victims, Immortal Master. No one could starve themselves to that extent if they weren’t disaster victims. Besides, even if they were originally from a wealthy family, they should still be considered disaster victims!”

In the bald, burly man's eyes, that face, no matter what it was before, could only belong to a disaster victim.

But Zhang Zuojing was wary, wondering if it was some kind of demon in disguise.
But when he arrived at the destination, Zhang Zuojing felt a little lost.

They are indeed disaster victims.

If that's the case, why is the Life-Saving Pill completely ineffective?
Just as they were filled with surprise and doubt, they suddenly heard shouts of fighting and cursing coming from among the group of disaster victims. One man was sternly rebuking his companion:

"I told you long ago! We're the ones who committed this sin! Even if we don't go back to kowtow and apologize, we should at least burn some incense to pay respects to the gods as a token of our remorse. But you insisted that it wasn't necessary! You said you didn't have the time for that!"

"Now look what's happened! Even God couldn't stand it anymore, so it's finally getting its comeuppance!"

For people at the bottom of society like them, making a few sticks of incense to offer to the gods is not a difficult task. This is a craft passed down through generations, and all they ask for is that it can be shaped and burned.

The necessary materials are readily available—in years of famine, the ground is covered with withered grass and trees, long since dried out and crumbling at the slightest touch. With a little effort, they can always be made.

Upon hearing this, before Zhang Zuojing could speak, a familiar voice rang out with a knowing smile:
"That's it, that's it!"

Following the sound, they saw a burly man with a beard push through the crowd, pointing at the group of disaster victims and mockingly saying:
"You lot, you owe karma but don't want to repay it, right? Heh, karma is a cycle, and retribution is inevitable. Even those evil demons and heretics need to figure out ways to avoid or transfer karma before they dare to do their evil deeds."

"Since you lack such extraordinary abilities, how dare you act so foolishly?"

After saying this, the burly man squatted down, leaned closer to them, and asked curiously:

"Tell me, what karmic debt did you incur to deserve such swift and severe retribution from Heaven?"

The disaster victims were immediately filled with shame, and they hung their heads in silence, none of them daring to respond.

“If you don’t speak, you can only wait to die.”

Only after these words were spoken did someone hurriedly reveal the truth:

"We, we, recently believed in wicked words and killed our benefactor who saved our lives."

After he recounted everything, the other disaster victims who had initially shown some sympathy suddenly changed color and hurriedly retreated several steps away as if avoiding a snake or scorpion, keeping their distance.

Ungrateful behavior is most detestable, but repaying kindness with enmity is even worse.

The bearded man initially just smiled, but after slowly calculating for a moment, he suddenly changed color and jumped back, keeping a safe distance.

This group of people not only owed karma, but were also directly judged by a powerful being!

So much so that they have no intention of repenting, and will immediately be punished by God!

Damn it, what on earth happened today? First, I almost lost my life in the Locked Dragon Well, and now that I finally managed to visit an old friend, I've run into this mess.
I went out and checked the almanac!
Seeing that everyone around them was behaving this way, one of the disaster victims immediately said:
"We'll go and offer incense to the Water God to pray for blessings and apologize for our past transgressions!"

Zhang Zuojing shook his head and said:

"If you had regretted it before, it would have been a case of realizing your mistake and turning back, and you could still be saved. But now, you understand the cause and effect before you try to correct it, but it's too late, too late!"

If you correct your mistakes when you don't know them, it shows you still have a conscience. To realize your mistakes and turn back is the greatest virtue.

But now that you know, how can we know if you've truly repented or are simply afraid?

After saying that, Zhang Zuojing pointed to the distance and said:

"You all, good luck to yourselves. Our little village is too afraid to accept you."

The group of disaster victims were immediately filled with despair:

"It's difficult. Are you really not giving us a way to survive?"

Zhang Zuojing sighed:
"They offered you a smooth road, but you gave it up yourselves. You can't blame anyone else."

"Go, while you still have the strength, see if you can get out of the southwest. I think your divine punishment will stop here. As for whether you can survive in the end, that depends on whether you have accumulated good deeds in the past."

The disaster victims looked around at their fellow victims with fear, hoping that they could lend a helping hand.

But when faced with them, everyone else avoids them as quickly as possible.

Disdain, disgust, cursing—they were practically ready to throw things and smash things.

In the end, the group of disaster victims continued eastward, dejected.

After watching them leave, Zhang Zuojing looked at the bearded man and smiled:
"Old friend, it's been a long time!"

The bearded giant also laughed heartily:

"You old bastard, I thought you were long dead, so I dripped a few drops of horse piss on you!"

The two immediately embraced.

In the face of such a drastic change, to be able to meet old friends is the greatest blessing in life.

Then, the bearded man looked at Zhang Kui, who was standing respectfully to the side, and said:

"Who is this kid?"

Zhang Zuojing laughed and said:
"This is my newly accepted disciple. He has an excellent character, and I am very proud of him!"

The bearded giant's eyes lit up, and he reached into his robes, pulling out a pure-colored dragon scale.

"Take it, take it, this is my gift to you."

Zhang Kui accepted it blankly, but Zhang Zuojing quickly pulled him aside and asked:
"I am not wrong, right?"

The bearded man laughed:

"Yes, that's the one! I almost lost my life today because of this thing!"

"Then how could you give it to me?"

The bearded giant didn't care at all:

“Your mantle is like my son. How could I not give it to you? But let me give you a piece of advice: many people are gathered around that Dragon-Locking Well.”

"This is definitely going to be a big problem! You'd better stay out of the way!"

But Zhang Zuojing laughed and said:
"Don't worry, the Taoist priest who made the accurate predictions about those disaster victims will definitely take care of this matter!"

"I've heard of that Taoist priest. He's powerful, but at best he's about the same as the one in the well. How can you expect anything from him?"

As they spoke, seeing Zhang Zuojing still stroking his beard and smiling, the bearded man slowly changed color.

Then, looking towards the direction of the Dragon Locking Well, he said:
"Is this Taoist priest so imposing?"

I thought he was a top-ranking Taoist master, but now it seems this Taoist is probably here to destroy all the sects in the southwest.

Exactly, why do the officials at the Confucian Temple sit idly by while powerful figures from the Buddhist and Taoist schools wield influence in their own territory?

(End of this chapter)